SINCE STARTING a 1-acre grid sampling program in 1996, the Rulon family has realized considerable fertilizer savings on their 5,000-acre no-till corn and soybean farm.
Where I live, city and rural life co-exist 100 yards apart. That’s how close urban sprawl has come to our family’s Walnut Row Farm on the outskirts of Iowa City, Iowa.
When compacted soils become a problem, as they can anywhere in the country, cover crops can be an effective solution, according to experienced no-till farmers. But you need to know which crop will work in your area to provide the kind of long tap roots needed. Visitors to Farmer’s Forum, the message board of No-Till Farmer, offered a number of possibilities recently. We share their ideas here, as well as thoughts about an assortment of other topics.
With faith that no-till is totally compatible with Mother Nature, this Iowan believes it represents farming’s future both economically and environmentally.
During my 13 years in the Air Force after graduating from Iowa State University in 1956, a lot of things changed. In the military, I was part of a two-man team that flew the experimental SR-71, which became the world’s fastest airplane. It still holds speed records of more than 2,000 miles per hour.
If next spring’s planting season turns wet, Randall Reeder says no-tillers who use controlled traffic may be ahead of their neighbors. The Ohio State University agricultural engineer says it might let you no-till quicker despite wet conditions that normally delay planting.
Before you develop a no-till plan, you need to define what the term actually means on your farm. It won’t be the same for someone who is located a couple states away or maybe even a couple miles down the road.
As you start inching closer to the National No-Tillage Conference in Indianapolis, Ind., from Jan. 8 to 11, 2003, get a head start on topics you want to hear about by jumping on our Web site’s message board, Farmer’s Forum, at www.no-tillfarmer.com. It’s a great place to make some no-tilling contacts with people that you’ll be able to meet up with at the conference.
One of the main factors that influence the purchase of new precision agricultural equipment is the upfront cost, maintain Ohio State University ag engineers Reza Ehsani and Matt Sullivan.
While strip-till can often overcome wet and cold soil problems, there’s no reason to consider the expense and time involved if no-till corn is working for you.
With some midwestern no-tillers facing concerns with cold and wet soils, building fall strips may be a good way to dry out and warm up these problem soils before no-tilling in the spring.
While it depends on your own particular farming operation, automatic tractor steering systems that cost as much as $50,000 could pay off relatively quickly, says Randall Reeder, Extension agricultural engineer at Ohio State University.
Get full access NOW to the most comprehensive, powerful and easy-to-use online resource for no-tillage practices. Just one good idea will pay for your subscription hundreds of times over.
On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Martin-Till, Westville, Ind., no-tiller Jeff Herrold provides an update on how planting is going so far, and why a potential problem with slugs is causing some early-season anxiety. Herrold also explains why he prefers to plant soybeans before corn.
Needham Ag understands the role of technology in making better use of limited resources within a specific environment by drawing on a wealth of global experience to overcome the challenges facing today's farmers, manufacturers and dealers.
The Andersons grows enduring relationships through extraordinary service, a deep knowledge of the market, and a knack for finding new ways to add value as we have done for nearly 70 years.