"Overall, the research suggests U.S. no-till agriculture has more to gain than lose with the passage of H.R. 2454," said Dr. Bill Golden, Dept. of Agricultural Economics at KSU and the team's leader.

Monsanto Chief Executive Hugh Grant said Tuesday that the federal investigation into anticompetitive practices in the seed industry "is the result of the fact that we have grown quickly and have been very succcessful."

America's vast stretches of no-till farmland are a big resource in the fight against global warming because their soil traps carbon. But not all farmers believe changing their ways to help in that fight would be profitable.

Carbo trading no-till

Hemisphere GPS announced the release of the new version of Outback AutoMate for Planter Section Control. The new version includes advanced software and three customized planter kits for the already successful boom section control product. This version also features 10 new languages in support of growing international market opportunities.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. farmers have embraced biotech varieties of no-till soybeans, cotton and corn at the rate of 91%, 88% and 85%, respectively.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has rolled out proposed guidance for new no-till pesticide labeling to reduce off-target spray and dust drift.

A majority of agribusiness leaders polled last week reported they are optimistic about their company's outlook in 2010 compared to 2009, with some asserting that they were "very optimistic" about the no-till near future.

So, what's a better no-till cover crop for this area, rye or triticale? What's an optimum planting date, late August or late September? Could a mixture work best on my farm? These are some of the questions pondered by a small group of people that came to a cover crop field day Tuesday at the Penn State Southeast Ag Research and Extension Center just outside of Manheim.

There has been a lot of activity related to the Chesapeake Bay recently that could have a very significant impact on no-till agriculture in Pennsylvania.