Articles by Laura Barrera

November 2016 Poll: Growing Non-GMO Crops

By Laura Barrera posted on October 15, 2016 | Posted in No-Till Farming 101

Do you, or have you considered, growing non-GMO crops?

From the Desk of Laura Barrera

Data Supports No-Till Regarding Phosphorus Runoff

By Laura Barrera posted on October 4, 2016 | Posted in Soil Health, Water Management

Blake Vince doesn’t believe farmers are facing a nutrient runoff problem, but something else. “We have a soil water infiltration problem,” he told a group of people attending the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority Farm to Coast tour.

From the Desk of Laura Barrera

Tackle Herbicide-Resistant Weeds with Cereal Rye

Preliminary results from a Penn State study confirm just how effective cover crops, especially cereal rye, can be on tough no-till weeds.

By Laura Barrera posted on September 20, 2016 | Posted in Crop Protection

Preliminary results from a Penn State study confirm just how effective cover crops, especially cereal rye, can be on tough no-till weeds.

Four Takeaways from the 2016 National Strip-Tillage Conference

The third annual event held in Bloomington-Normal, Ill., featured practical tips on cover cropping, increasing soil biology and improving nutrient management.

By Laura Barrera and Jack Zemlicka posted on September 17, 2016 | Posted in Cover Crops, Nutrient Management, Strip-Till Farming

HELD IN ILLINOIS for the first time, the 2016 National Strip-Tillage Conference gathered a diverse group of strip-till farmers, researchers and industry experts from more than 20 states and abroad.

Shoot for Higher Organic Matter by Relying on Residue

While increasing organic matter is a multi-year process, no-tillers can boost it even faster by ensuring there’s enough plant material to replenish what’s already in the soil and adding more residue.

By Laura Barrera posted on September 17, 2016 | Posted in Residue Management, Soil Health

Despite making up only a small percentage of the soil — no more than 10%, according to the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension — organic matter plays a critical role in the soil’s health and the crops raised on it.

October 2016 Poll: Coulters & Row Cleaners

By Laura Barrera posted on September 15, 2016 | Posted in No-Till Farming 101

Do you have no-till coulters and/or row cleaners on your no-till planter?

From the Desk of Laura Barrera

No-Tillers Lead the Way in Reversing Climate Change

By Laura Barrera posted on September 6, 2016 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Nutrient Management

A study commissioned by Monsanto shows the impact no-till and cover crops have on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and other practices growers can adopt to help reverse climate change.

Conservation Keeping Growers Competitive on Heavy, Wet Soils

The Baileys are seeing yields comparable to their conventional tillage neighbors with no-till while protecting soil and saving on additional equipment expenses.

By Laura Barrera posted on August 20, 2016 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Equipment

GROWING UP on the family farm in Louisville, Ill., Randy Bailey thought the way to farm was to hire labor, have a lot of tractors, discs and rollers and work the land.

But in the 1980s, just after he graduated high school and took over the farm, the Farm Crisis hit and the equity on his land flipped upside down. After hearing retired University of Illinois agronomist Mike Plumer speak at a Farm Bureau meeting about no-till, he decided to give it a try.

Lower C:N Ratios, Termination Determine Nitrogen from Covers

A certified crop advisor and agronomist explains how choosing the right species and promoting its growth can help no-tillers acquire free nitrogen from their cover crops.

By Laura Barrera posted on August 20, 2016 | Posted in Cover Crops, Nutrient Management

The No. 1 question Scott Wohltman gets asked by growers using cover crops is: How much nitrogen (N) am I getting from cover crops, and when will it be available?

From the Desk of Laura Barrera

3 No-Till Takeaways from Beck’s 2015 Practical Farm Research

By Laura Barrera posted on August 16, 2016 | Posted in Seeding & Planting

One of the challenges I sometimes run into when researching story ideas and topics for No-Till Farmer is finding studies that are conducted under true no-till conditions. As you probably know by now, what works in conventional tillage or even strip-till may not work well in no-till, and vise versa.

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Last-Minute Planter Prep for No-Tillers & Strip-Tillers

On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Martin-Till, precision specialist Chad Baker, co-owner of Baker Precision Planter Works in Orangeville, Ill., helps a first-generation no-tiller with planter setup, and later encounters a couple problems with a strip-tiller’s new 24-row planter. Plus, veteran agronomist Brad Forkner checks in with a couple tips for farmers to keep in mind before they take the field.

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Articles by Laura Barrera

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