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Articles by Martha Mintz

What I've Learned from No-Tilling

No-Till Lays Foundation for Consistent Crops, Rain or Shine

Financial challenges pushed Mike Belan’s family into conservation practices, but the Ontario no-tiller is focusing on improving soil health to propel the farm forward.
By Mike Belan and Martha Mintz posted on April 15, 2017 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Soil Health
High interest rates were the push my dad and uncle needed to make the switch to no-till on our farm. They had long raised wheat, corn and soybeans on our generally flat Brookston clay fields that sit just 30 miles north and south, respectively of Lake Erie and Lake Huron.
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What I've Learned from No-Tilling

Balancing Nutrients Restores Soils While Raising No-Till Yields

Cover cropping every acre, along with several applications of nitrogen and manure, allow Steve Berger to protect his land and raise healthy crops.
By Steve Berger and Martha Mintz posted on March 11, 2017 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Nutrient Management
Location, location, location. That’s honestly one of the reasons I’ve been successful in no-till over the years. I’m not talking about the land, though — it’s the people I’ve been fortunate enough to be surrounded by.
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What I've Learned from No-Tilling

Finding Security in No-Till and Diversity

No-tilling broke Mike Beer, and eventually his neighbors, out of a spring wheat rut and into crop diversity and economic success.
By Mike Beer and Martha Mintz posted on February 11, 2017 | Posted in No-Till Farming 101, Crop Protection, Residue Management
In the late 1980s, farmers in my region seemed to be stuck on a production plateau, or were even losing ground. Everyone was growing only spring wheat or barley and leaving half their acres in black fallow every year.
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What I've Learned from No-Tilling

Cover Crops Transform Challenging Acres to Efficient Yield Leaders

No-tilling and cover cropping help Mark Turner reduce fertility needs and take fields considered too poor to grow corn to 200-bushel yields.
By Mark Turner and Martha Mintz posted on January 14, 2017 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Nutrient Management
Pastures used to help hold the soil in place on the rolling hills that dominate our Kentucky farm. My dad raised cattle, so he would rotate fields between corn and hay. When he eventually retired, he liquidated the herd and shifted to row crops.
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What I've Learned from No-Tilling

No-Till Contributes to Cully Brothers Farm’s Longevity and Economic Success

Erosion, yields and economics led the Cully brothers to try no-till, while improving equipment and crop protection technologies have kept them at it.
By Scott Cully with Edward and Wayne Cully and Martha Mintz posted on December 17, 2016 | Posted in No-Till Farming 101, Seeding & Planting, Crop Protection
My family has been dabbling in no-till since the late 1970s. My father, Edward Cully, and uncle, Wayne Cully, have farmed together since 1955 and now, at the ages of 84 and 81, respectively, I think they can at least somewhat credit their continuing career in farming to no-till.
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What I've Learned from No-Tilling

No-Till, Cover Crops and Wheat Pull Farm Out of a Yield Rut

Yields had stalled for Dick and Chris Nissen until no-till, tiling, cover crops and wheat helped them manage water issues and improve their soils.
By Chris Nissen and Martha Mintz posted on November 19, 2016 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Water Management
Our farm hit a plateau in the 1990s. Yields were flat and we just weren’t making the gains we thought we should be. It’s not that we sought out no-till as the magic solution; we just knew we had to try something different, as conventional tillage wasn’t cutting it.
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What I've Learned from No-Tilling

Diversity, No-Till and Continuous Cropping Bring Big Impacts to Bottom Line

Moving from a tilled wheat-fallow rotation to no-till and pulse crops has amplified Gordon Stoner’s production and profits.
By Gordon Stoner and Martha Mintz posted on October 29, 2016 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Equipment, Crop Protection
Pulse crops have facilitated some massive changes on my farm and to our region as a whole in the last two decades. My wife Bonnie and I are the fourth generation of my family to farm the great glacial plains that make up Northeastern Montana.
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What I've Learned from No-Tilling

Second Chance at No-Till Proves Successful

Dale Holland jumped back into no-till after his father, counted among the earliest no-till adopters, had to give up the practice due to weeds.
By Dale Holland and Martha Mintz posted on September 17, 2016 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Residue Management, Nutrient Management
We have a lot of eyes watching us when we farm these days. While we used to be surrounded by fellow farmers, now we’re farming basically in the suburbs of Suffolk, Va.
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