Articles by Ron Ross

What I've Learned from No-Tilling

Why No-Till Boosts Your Return On Investment

In field trials, this crop consultant found no-till earned $40 to $50 more profit per acre.

By Ron Ross and Joe Nester posted on February 1, 2004 | Posted in No-Till Farming 101

Our first serious no-till experiences in northwestern Ohio pretty much paralleled the introduction of the John Deere 750 no-till drill in the late 1980s. After seeing it run for the first time, my immediate thought was that this no-till drill had a chance to make a major impact on our agriculture.

What I've Learned from No-Tilling

Follow A No-Till Systems Approach To Big-Time Profits

When farmers switch to a no-till system, it often takes 5 years or more to see dramatic changes since the soil is recovering from decades of mismanagement.

By Bud Davis and Ron Ross posted on January 1, 2004 | Posted in No-Till Farming 101, Seeding & Planting

A good no-tiller is apt to be a patient person. In Kansas, that virtue has been tested to the extreme as we work our way through one of the worst droughts of the past 75 years.

What I've Learned from No-Tilling

They Harvested 8,352 Acres Of No-Tilled Crops From 6,391 Acres

In the past 5 years, this operation has added 1,767 acres of no-tilled crops on eight more farms.

By Ron Ross and Mike Ellis posted on December 1, 2003 | Posted in No-Till Farming 101, Seeding & Planting

A lot has changed at the Worth and Dee Ellis farm in Eminence, Ky., since 1999 when No-Till Farmer published a story about our operation. We farm more land now.

What I've Learned from No-Tilling

No-Till Is Cornerstone To Smarter Farming

Process sets off a chain of innovations for this Indiana farm family.

By Ron Ross and Ellis McFadden posted on November 1, 2003 | Posted in No-Till Farming 101, Equipment, Soil Health

I tell my neighbors that I don’t want to farm anymore. I just want to farm smarter. That philosophy was the reason we went with no-till in 1986, and it’s the driving force behind other steps that we’ve taken to make farming more efficient and profitable.

What I've Learned from No-Tilling

When Quality Counts, Count On No-Till

White corn proves to be a winning combination with no-till in this 100-year-old Iowa farming operation.

By Gary Williams and Ron Ross posted on October 1, 2003 | Posted in Equipment, Precision Agriculture

Where I live, city and rural life co-exist 100 yards apart. That’s how close urban sprawl has come to our family’s Walnut Row Farm on the outskirts of Iowa City, Iowa.

What I've Learned from No-Tilling

No-Till Saved The Day!

When this farmer had to learn a new way to farm in order to survive, no-tilling provided the answer.

By John Derham and Ron Ross posted on September 1, 2003 | Posted in No-Till Farming 101

The whole world changed for me 18 years ago. Thanks — or no thanks — to big farming and a bad economy, I lost nearly everything I owned — a 4,000-acre operation including land, equipment, 500 beef cows, trucks, cars, personal tools and anything else that the bankers could find in the sheds to auction off.

What I've Learned from No-Tilling

Without No-Till, Farming Wouldn't Be As Enjoyable

With a 4,800-acre farming operation, this family’s entire way of life is tied to no-till.

By Ron Ross and Rodney Rulon posted on August 1, 2003 | Posted in No-Till Farming 101

No one thing got us into no-till, but every year we find more reasons to stay with it. In the 1970s and early 1980s, our farm management included my father, Doyle, my Uncle Jerry and a cousin, Roy. They had given up the moldboard plow in the 1970s and had switched to a chisel plow system, but were still doing a lot of tillage.

What I've Learned from No-Tilling

No-Till To Stop Erosion Before It Starts!

With faith that no-till is totally compatible with Mother Nature, this Iowan believes it represents farming’s future both economically and environmentally.

By Jerry Crew and Ron Ross posted on July 1, 2003 | Posted in No-Till Farming 101, Equipment, Soil Health

During my 13 years in the Air Force after graduating from Iowa State University in 1956, a lot of things changed. In the military, I was part of a two-man team that flew the experimental SR-71, which became the world’s fastest airplane. It still holds speed records of more than 2,000 miles per hour.

What I've Learned from No-Tilling

A Permanent No-Till Is The Only Way to Go!

Spending an extra $12 per acre on fertilizer resulted in $60 to $80 more income with no-tilled corn.

By Ron Ross and Mike Wolpert posted on June 1, 2003 | Posted in No-Till Farming 101, Seeding & Planting

It took me almost 12 years to learn that you can’t dabble with no-tilling. You either have to commit 100 percent or forget about it.

What I've Learned from No-Tilling

Thick Mulches Make No-Till Work

By Ron Ross and Steve Groff posted on April 1, 2003 | Posted in No-Till Farming 101, Residue Management

We’ve been practicing precision agriculture for 22 years, but have never used a global positioning system (GPS).

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