Articles by John Dobberstein

Keep Rootworms Guessing To Protect No-Till Corn Profits

As concern rises about rootworm resistance to Bt corn, no-tillers should employ a diverse control strategy that includes pyramided traits, crop rotation, refuge planting and adult control.

By John Dobberstein posted on September 1, 2014

EXPERTS ACROSS the Corn Belt are warning farmers about more documented cases of resistance to Bt corn by the western corn rootworm (WCR).

Zero-Till And Grazing Make For Profitable Partners

A variety of grazing operations, interseeding and nontraditional crops are helping Ryan Boyd push his Canadian zero-till operation to a higher level of success.

By John Dobberstein posted on September 1, 2014

The challenges Ryan Boyd and his father, Jim, tackled many years ago to establish zero-till on their Manitoba farm has paid dividends many times, especially last spring.

From the Desk of John Dobberstein

Turning to No-Till and Cover Crops

By John Dobberstein posted on August 21, 2014 | Posted in Cover Crops, Water Management

A group of stakeholders believes increased adoption of no-till and cover crops could reduce sedimentation problems in a Kansas watershed and help a nuclear power plant operate more efficiently.

So What Will Dryland Farming Look Like?

By John Dobberstein posted on August 7, 2014 | Posted in Water Management

Earlier this summer, an article in The Hutchinson News in Kansas raised a very important question for farmers to consider.

High-Tech Tools To Manage No-Till Residue From The Combine

New technologies are coming online to help no-tillers spread residue evenly across ever-growing header widths, and set the stage for successful no-till planting the following season.

By John Dobberstein posted on August 1, 2014 | Posted in Equipment, Residue Management

Had someone told Kelly Kravig 20 years ago that 500-horsepower combines would be rumbling through fields at harvest, the Case IH combine marketing manager and western Kansas grain farmer would have been skeptical at the very least.

South Dakota: One State, Two Trends

An NRCS survey finds no-till acreage increased in the state by 29% overall between 2004 and 2013, but decreased where crop rotations shifted from small grains to corn and soybean plantings.

By John Dobberstein posted on August 1, 2014 | Posted in No-Till Farming 101

Last year, the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service conducted a county-level inventory of crop systems in South Dakota to capture a “snapshot in time” of the types of tillage systems being used.

No-Till Movement In U.S. Continues To Grow

The most recent Census of Agriculture found no-tilled acres in the U.S. reached a new high of 96 million acres in 2012, but experts say obstacles remain to more consistent adoption of the practice.

By John Dobberstein posted on August 1, 2014 | Posted in No-Till Farming 101

Nearly 35% of cropland acres in the U.S. are no-tilled and more than 10 million acres of cover crops have been seeded across the country.

What I've Learned from No-Tilling

Reaching A Generation Without Tillage

While Iowa No-Tiller John Schnekloth Can Remember Wading Through Every Form of Tillage Over the Years, His 27-year-old Son, Hans, Struggles to Even Name Tillage Implements.

By John Schnekloth, Hans Schnekloth, John Dobberstein, and Martha Mintz posted on August 1, 2014 | Posted in Nutrient Management, Soil Health

A common point of discussion in agriculture is how many generations removed most consumers are from the farm. In my household we’re starting to talk in terms of generations removed from tillage.

A Small Success Can Lead To Bigger Ones

By John Dobberstein posted on July 24, 2014 | Posted in Water Management

While Idaho doesn't top the list of no-till adoption in the U.S., it appears the mindset is beginning to change in some parts of the state.

From the Desk of John Dobberstein

Stepping Back From The Brink?

By John Dobberstein posted on July 10, 2014 | Posted in Water Management

The crisis facing the Ogallala Aquifer in the Great Plains has hit the mainstream media. NBC News published a special report last weekend that may help the public gain a better understanding of the implications of the declining aquifer, which could lead to an agricultural and food-supply disaster.

Current Issue

No-Till Farmer

Get full access NOW to the most comprehensive, powerful and easy-to-use online resource for no-tillage practices. Just one good idea will pay for your subscription hundreds of times over.

Subscribe Now

No-Till vs. Mud, Fire & Water Facebook Videos

Twin-Row Cereal Rye Adds 35-Bushel Advantage in No-Tiller’s Irrigated Corn

Add Covers, Subtract Inputs & Multiply Profits with Systems Approach to No-Till

Must Read Free Eguides

Download these helpful knowledge building tools

No-Till Planting Update: Potential Slug Problem?

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.

Top Directory Listings

Needham Ag Technologies, LLC

Needham Ag understands the role of technology in making better use of limited resources within a specific environment by drawing on a wealth of global experience to overcome the challenges facing today's farmers, manufacturers and dealers.

Titan International, Inc

Titan offers a full line of wheels, tires and undercarriage products for a wide variety of off-the-road equipment.

The Andersons PureGrade

The Andersons grows enduring relationships through extraordinary service, a deep knowledge of the market, and a knack for finding new ways to add value as we have done for nearly 70 years.

Articles by John Dobberstein

Top Articles

Current Issue

Must Read Free Eguides

Videos