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John Dobberstein

John Dobberstein is senior editor of No-Till Farmer magazine and the e-newsletter Dryland No-Tiller. He previously covered agriculture for the Tulsa World and worked for daily newspapers in Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Joseph, Mich. He graduated with a B.A. in journalism and political science from Central Michigan University.

Articles

ARTICLES

Cereal Rye, No-Till Practices Protect Soils, No-Tilled Cotton

Reduced soil disturbance and decades of rye has helped Jimmy and Spencer Smith keep their sandy soils in place, retain soil moisture and log the best-ever cotton crops.

By John Dobberstein posted on August 26, 2019 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Water Management

BIG THUNDERSTORMS and high winds whipping through western Oklahoma don’t make farming an easy task. One wrong turn with the weather, or a poor management decision, can make or break a crop and profitability.

The Best Water-Saving Strategy Starts with What You DON’T Do

By John Dobberstein posted on August 22, 2019 | Posted in Water Management

There are lots of solutions on the table to improve water-use efficiency and address food production challenges the world is facing. But the root of these strategies needs to start with the soil.

Dryland Cover Crop Study Paints Mixed Picture, But Hope for Future

By John Dobberstein posted on August 8, 2019 | Posted in Cover Crops, Water Management

A technical bulletin released detailing the feasibility of cover crops in southwest Colorado and southeast Utah painted a mix picture, but still drew some favorable conclusions for the future of covers in semi-arid climates.

No-Tilling, Cereal Rye Handles Saturated Soils, Improves Stands

No-tilling and planting green into living covers is the right formula to help Frank Martin improve the tilth of his shallow, claypan soils and get better planting results.

By John Dobberstein posted on August 4, 2019 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Water Management

Frank Martin likes to keep things simple. He uses older combines with no yield monitors and he isn’t into using a lot of precision mapping on his 800-acre farm.

Load Up the Toolbox to Fight Weeds More Effectively

By John Dobberstein posted on July 11, 2019 | Posted in Crop Protection

I’ve heard some stories in recent years — both passionate and very sad, unfortunately — of no-tillers having to pull out a tillage implement to deal with weed problems that got away from them.

Census of Agriculture

No-Till, Cover Crop Acres Continue Upward Trend

Growers are moving away from intensive tillage in favor of no-till, min-till and cover crops, the Census of Ag Shows

By John Dobberstein posted on July 10, 2019 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops

While the growth of no-till remains fairly steady across the U.S., a substantial movement away from intensive tillage is occurring among farmers, according to data from the 2017 Census of Agriculture analyzed by No-Till Farmer.

'Why Will it Matter You Farmed the Land?'

By John Dobberstein posted on June 27, 2019 | Posted in Soil Health

No-tiller and Practical Farmers of Iowa board member Nathan Anderson was once asked this question. Read on to see his answer, and find out more about soil health payoffs spotlighted at a Capitol Hill hearing this week.

USDA Exploring MFP Payments for Cover Crop Forages on Prevent-Plant Acres

By John Dobberstein posted on June 11, 2019 | Posted in Seeding & Planting

In light of widespread prevented planting, USDA is mulling Market Facilitation Program (MFP) payments for struggling producers who plant an MFP-eligible cover crop that has the potential to be harvested and used as forage, says Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.

Small Start, Big Success with No-Tilling

A minor victory in a small field grew to major success farmwide for Bob Kissel, as no-till practices have reduced erosion and improved soil tilth and nutrient cycling on his central Indiana operation.

By John Dobberstein posted on May 30, 2019 | Posted in Nutrient Management, Soil Health, Water Management

Bob Kissel remembers the moment he decided to start no-tilling his crops: it was 30 years ago as he was custom harvesting a 20-acre field intensively farmed with soybeans and worked with plows every year.

From the Desk of John Dobberstein

30 Years to Save Our World’s Soils — a Scary Thought

By John Dobberstein posted on May 23, 2019 | Posted in Soil Health, Water Management

Some 500 scientists, academic experts, farmers and government officials from more than 100 countries convened the Global Symposium on Soil Erosion last week. Find out what they said and what really needs to happen to feed the world.

View All Articles by John Dobberstein

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SureFire Ag Unveils the 3rd Generation Model of the QuickDraw 3000

Matt Wolters, marketing manager for SureFire Ag, unveils the 3rd-generation model of the QuickDraw 3000 at the 2019 Farm Progress Show. The system includes carrier blending for 3 products, a 10” screen that’s 6 times brighter than the previous model, iPad app for remote display and remote start batch, and auto batch calculation for easier chemical mixing and loading of the sprayer.

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Regenerative Agriculture — From the Soil to the Table

Date: 09/27/19

Location: Lincoln, NE

Join us to hear from three producers who share how they are changing their crop selection, growing practices and product marketing to ensure future success.

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