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Articles by Ian Gronau

Using Strip-Till to Cut Field Costs, Dial Back Nitrogen Rates

Minnesota farmers Nancy and Jerry Ackermann credit strip-till, split nitrogen applications and cover crops for helping them reach 200-bushel corn yields on 140 pounds of nitrogen.
By Ian Gronau posted on December 17, 2016 | Posted in Cover Crops, Nutrient Management, Strip-Till Farming
Nancy and Jerry Ackermann have been strip-tilling corn and no-tilling soybeans and alfalfa on their 1,200-acre farm in southwest Minnesota for 15 years. Coming from conventional tillage practices, the transition began on a small 50-acre test plot.
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Cutting Expenses with No-Till Grain, Vegetables

Cory Atkins is experimenting with no-till, cover crops and precision technology on a variety of crops for higher profits and efficiency.
By Ian Gronau posted on October 29, 2016 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Crop Protection
Cory Atkins is a rare example of a young, first generation commercial farmer in an aging and family-centric industry. Although he grew up on a hobby farm with a roadside market and was tutored by an uncle who farms, he has taken it upon himself to obtain a production agriculture degree and expand the acres under his management.
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Precise Nutrient, Cover Crop Use Cleans Up Chesapeake

Trey Hill shares what he’s learned from trying to reduce nitrogen leaching, managing inputs and battling slugs on his 10,000 no-till acres.
By Ian Gronau posted on July 30, 2016 | Posted in Cover Crops, Nutrient Management
Although Trey Hill has been farming around 10,000 acres in Rock Hall, Md., his whole life, he’s quick to mention that he’s more a student than a teacher. It’s this instinct that leads him to perpetually tweak his nitrogen (N) management and cover-crop program, forever in search of more conservative and efficient techniques for the fourth generation family-run Harborview Farms.
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Field-by-Field Strip-Till Tweaks Improve Yields, Soil Health

Indiana strip-tiller Doug Davenport has spent 15 years experimenting with slight changes in fertilizer application, cover crops and equipment setups to get the most from his strip-till system.
By Ian Gronau posted on June 11, 2016 | Posted in Cover Crops, Residue Management, Nutrient Management
Doug Davenport's 4,000-acre operation reinforces the idea that one size does not fit all for farming. The Kingman, Ind., strip-tiller has spent many years — and plans to spend many more — figuring out field-by-field the best management practices on his farm.
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Crop Sensors Emerging as Useful, Profitable No-Till Tool

Farmers and manufacturers discuss the payback crop sensors offer, as well as their vulnerabilities and what the future may hold for the technology.
By Ian Gronau posted on October 26, 2015 | Posted in Equipment, Nutrient Management, Precision Agriculture
There’s little doubt among farmers that data pouring from a myriad of displays, sensors, monitors and other precision farming equipment is going to help them be more efficient. However, analysis and timing often stand in the way of that goal.
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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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