Articles by Frank Lessiter

Frankly Speaking

Herbicide Shortages, Higher Prices

By Frank Lessiter posted on November 4, 2021 | Posted in Cover Crops, Crop Protection

There's plenty of speculation that two key no-till herbicides will be in short supply and cost more for the 2022 growing season. These two herbicides are glyphosate (Roundup, plus others) and glufosinate (Liberty, plus others).

No-Till’s First Field

It’s only 7/10ths of an acre separated by a drainage ditch from the rest of a 180-acre field, but it’s been continuously no-tilled for 60 years.

By Frank Lessiter posted on October 17, 2021 | Posted in Seeding & Planting

In the late 1950s, Harry Young had been thinking about reducing tillage on his family’s farm at Herndon, Ky. Conventional tillage had been practiced on the family farm since the 1830s.

The No-Till History series is made possible by Calmer Corn Heads.

Frankly Speaking

The ‘Triple Crown of No-Tillage’ Spotlights Three Unique Anniversaries in 2022

By Frank Lessiter posted on October 17, 2021

Horse racing holds its three traditional “Triple Crown” races over a 5-week schedule each May through June. It starts with the Kentucky Derby in Kentucky, moves to the Preakness Stakes in Maryland and wraps up with the Belmont Stakes in New York.

The No-Till History series is made possible by Calmer Corn Heads.

How No-Till Benefits the World’s Population

By Frank Lessiter posted on September 15, 2021 | Posted in Seeding & Planting

The continued growth of no-till offers a number of major environmental advances for people all around the globe.

Frankly Speaking

No-Tillage is for the ‘Birds’

By Frank Lessiter posted on August 31, 2021 | Posted in Cover Crops, Crop Protection, Residue Management

OVER 50 YEARS of writing about the benefits of no-till, we’ve only done a few articles on the expansion of wildlife populations with no-till. That’s why we were pleased to come across some work by University of Illinois environmental scientists on whether no-till and cover crops provide extra benefits for birds.

Frankly Speaking

No-Tilling Into a ‘Living Mulch’

By Frank Lessiter posted on August 3, 2021 | Posted in Cover Crops, Residue Management, Soil Health

Instead of leaving fields bare after corn silage harvest, adding a living mulch may help no-tillers prevent costly soil erosion and improve soil health.

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25 Critical Questions to Ask Before Signing a Carbon Contract

With many unknowns and uncertainties in the carbon markets, make sure you fully understand every aspect of a proposed contract.

By Frank Lessiter posted on July 20, 2021 | Posted in Soil Health

Before signing a carbon sequestration contract, you’ll need to fully understand all of the specific terms, conditions, requirements, data ownership and penalties covered in the document’s fine print.

Frankly Speaking

No-Tilling Adds $112 Per Acre in Environmental Value for the Non-Farm Public

By Frank Lessiter posted on July 19, 2021 | Posted in Cover Crops, Soil Health

While many of our readers certainly recognize the positive impact no-till has on their farm’s profitability, most haven’t recognized the environmentally-friendly value it also brings to America’s non-farm population. By combining the extra cropping value enjoyed by growers with the climate-friendly environmental benefits of this practice, it’s apparent to me that we’ve been underselling the overall worth of no-till.

Frankly Speaking

Soil Microbes Prefer Crop Variety

By Frank Lessiter posted on May 28, 2021 | Posted in Cover Crops, Nutrient Management

While research on soil microbial health has mainly been done in a lab, greenhouse or in short-term field experiments, University of Illinois crop scientists have captured valuable crop rotation and tillage data from a 20-year field experiment.

Frankly Speaking

Canadian No-Tillers Penalized

By Frank Lessiter posted on April 30, 2021 | Posted in Cover Crops, Crop Protection, Seeding & Planting, Soil Health

Saskatchewan no-tillers certainly aren’t in a cheerful mood these days when it comes to carbon sequestration. It’s because they recently learned growers who use minimal tillage or low-soil disturbance cropping systems could be shut out of the potentially lucrative Canadian market for carbon credit offsets.

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Farmer Shares Formula for Better No-Till Corn Emergence

On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Yetter Farm Equipment, longtime no-tiller Ross Bishop shares some of the keys to achieving even corn emergence with no-till.

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Articles by Frank Lessiter

Herbicide Shortages, Higher Prices

No-Till’s First Field

The ‘Triple Crown of No-Tillage’ Spotlights Three Unique Anniversaries in 2022

How No-Till Benefits the World’s Population

No-Tillage is for the ‘Birds’

No-Tilling Into a ‘Living Mulch’

25 Critical Questions to Ask Before Signing a Carbon Contract

No-Tilling Adds $112 Per Acre in Environmental Value for the Non-Farm Public

Soil Microbes Prefer Crop Variety

Canadian No-Tillers Penalized

Top Articles

Current Issue

No-Till Farmer

Cover Crops Bolster Systems Approach to No-Till Weed Management

Taking the Edge Off Weather Events

Planting Green Benefits Being Recognized

Must Read Free Eguides

Videos

Farmer Shares Formula for Better No-Till Corn Emergence

Needham Ag Technologies, LLC

Titan International, Inc

The Andersons PureGrade