Five years ago, Nick and Luke Miller returned to Miller Farms near Oconomowoc, Wis., bringing with them a passion for change that works well with the no-till tradition their father, Bob, began 16 years ago.
Compaction, earlier planting, susceptible varieties, a major biological reaction and excessive rain have all played a role in creating huge problems with Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) in soybeans this year, says Bob Streit, a crop consultant and owner of Central Iowa Agronomics in Boone, Iowa.
No-tillers need to pay attention to the extra phosphorus, zinc and other nutrients that corn rootworm-resistant (CRW) hybrids use compared to biotech hybrids without the CRW trait, says Fred Below, University of Illinois plant physiologist.
Strip-tilling helps manage residue, increase continuous-corn yields and protect the soil, say four Iowa strip-tillers and an ag retailer who have been using the system for years.
No-tillers who must apply manure late in the summer and also want to drill cover crops face a conflict. When storage nears capacity, manure must be applied to fields. But timely seeding of cover crops is crucial to establishing stands.
Conventional wisdom says no-till won’t work in northern Iowa, an area infamous for cold, wet soils. But Thornton, Iowa, farmer Doug Caffrey, who grows corn and soybeans and raises grow-to-finish hogs, has no-tilled successfully for almost 25 years.
Virginia “never-tiller” Paul Davis sees a faster increase in soil organic matter, a reduction in applied nitrogen and improved yields from cover crops.
Mastering the A, B, Cs of soil fertility means managing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium first, then taking care of secondary nutrients and micronutrient levels, a soil-testing expert says.
When no-tillers get the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium levels in their fields at optimum levels to maximize yields, they need to focus on secondary and micronutrients, says Ray Ward, owner of Ward Laboratories Inc. in Kearney, Neb.
Twin-row, strip-tilled continuous corn is helping Illinois farmer John Obery pursue his goal of growing the highest yields possible, but the system demands a great deal of ingenuity and patience.
Conventional wisdom at the coffee shop says John Obery’s twin-row, strip-tilled continuous corn won’t work and conventional tillage is the way to farm. But the Metamora, Ill., strip-tiller, who began farming in 1973, sets his own course.
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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.
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