Home / Authors / Frank Lessiter

Frank Lessiter

Frank Lessiter founded Lessiter Media in 1981 and has spent more than 50 years in the agricultural and equine publishing business. He still oversees all of the company's publications as Chairman and Editorial Director, with an Emphasis on American Farriers Journal and No-Till Farmer magazines.

Contact: lessitef@lesspub.com

lessitef@lesspub.com

Articles

ARTICLES

Check The Winners!

A number of National No-Tillage Conference attendees took home more than just new no-tilling ideas.

By Frank Lessiter posted on March 1, 2006

Besides taking home plenty of new ideas from the 4-day, in-depth program and networking with fellow attendees in St. Louis, Mo., 19 farmers went home with extremely valuable products free from the 14th annual National No-Tillage Conference.

No-Till Makes Effective Use Of Limited Moisture

Rotations are the key to turning out good no-till profits in limited rainfall areas.

By Frank Lessiter posted on February 1, 2006 | Posted in Residue Management, Soil Health

Art Schultheis relies on no-till to get the best possible return from his 1,100 acre operation, which receives an average annual rainfall of only 18 to 20 inches.

Our Soil, Our Life

No-tilling helps this Wisconsin couple improve soil quality and preserve it for future generations.

By Frank Lessiter posted on February 1, 2006 | Posted in Cover Crops, Soil Health

While most Corn Belt no-tillers grow only corn and soybeans, Charlie Hammer prefers a three-way rotation. The operator of Hammer & Kavazanjian Farms with his wife Nancy Kavazanjian at Beaver Dam, Wis., prefers a no-till rotation evenly split between corn, soybeans and wheat in the farm’s 2,300-acre operation.

Frankly Speaking

Let's Pay Farmers to No-Till

By Frank Lessiter posted on February 1, 2006

While U.S. Department of Agriculture officials have been bragging about funding nearly $290 million in renewable energy efforts since the start of the Bush administration, most of the investment has gone to bioenergy and biomass ventures. In fact, much of their comprehensive energy strategy to help farmers reduce high energy costs is simply being promoted without offering any new economic incentives.

No-Till’s A No-Brainer

With a few critical management changes, no-till has been the best investment ever made in this farming operation.

By Frank Lessiter posted on November 1, 2005 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Soil Health

Even with a cold and wet spring in 2004, Tim Goodenough readily saw the many benefits of no-tilling with corn yielding as high as 265 bushels and soybeans reaching 67 bushels per acre.

Frank Comments

Three Workhorses Approved

By Frank Lessiter posted on October 1, 2005 | Posted in Equipment

If there's ever been any doubt on your part regarding the huge savings you’ll earn on fuel purchases from no-tilling, check out the No-Till-Age chart at the bottom left side of this page.

Rotation Strategies Are Critical

Keeping your options open by rotating with three or four entirely different types of crops are paying dividends.

By Frank Lessiter posted on September 1, 2005

Limited rainfall and plenty of warm chinooks moving east off the nearby Rocky Mountain range in late winter create an environment in which properly managing moisture is essential for Alberta growers.

Successful No-Tilling Starts At Harvest

Effective residue management is the first step to minimize numerous no-till concerns.

By Frank Lessiter posted on September 1, 2005 | Posted in Residue Management

Properly handling straw, chaff and stalks as they exit the combine is key to managing your residue throughout the year with no-till. It’s due to the fact that effective residue management influences erosion control, moisture conservation, seed placement, fertilizer distribution, crop emergence and weed control.

Frank Comments

Yield Is What Counts

By Frank Lessiter posted on September 1, 2005 | Posted in Crop Protection

Results of a long-term evaluation of five weed control systems in northern Illinois indicate that yield is the major difference rather than the actual amount of effective weed control.

Gear Up For Roundup Ready Alfalfa

This new technology offers no-tillers new opportunities for longer rotations, higher forage yields, improved crop quality and unique weed control options.

By Frank Lessiter posted on August 1, 2005 | Posted in Cover Crops

With expected Environmental Protection Agency approval later this summer of Roundup Ready alfalfa, no-tillers will have a exciting new tool to add to their management arsenal. Having proven valuable with soybeans, corn, cotton, canola and other crops, adding the Roundup Ready technology to alfalfa offers many new forage cropping opportunities.

View All Articles by Frank Lessiter

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

Cover Crops Managed Properly Can Bring Immediate Benefits

Boost Revenue & Soil Health by Integrating Livestock with No-Till

Quake Sensors Show Tillage Weakens Soil

Must Read Free Eguides

Download these helpful knowledge building tools

Cover Crops, Strip-Till Spark Desert Soil Revival

On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Titan International, we pay a visit to Strip-Till Innovator Robert Boyle’s farm in Coolidge, Ariz., for an up-close look at how he’s transforming his soils with cover crops and diverse rotations.

Top Directory Listings

Estes Performance Concaves

We have engineered and developed the most advanced concave system that threshes all crops, eliminates rotor loss, improves grain quality, gives you a cleaner sample – all with one set of XPR concaves.

Titan International Inc

At Titan International, our product portfolio reflects our commitment to innovation and high-quality products. Titan International offers a full line of solution-focused wheel, tire, and undercarriage products for a wide variety of off-the-road equipment in agriculture, construction, forestry, mining, power sports, high-speed trailers, and outdoor power equipment segments. As one of the largest North American manufacturers, with a network of dealers all over the world, Titan is an industry leader that original equipment manufacturers and operators can count on for durable products and quality service.

Servitech

Provide expert analysis and decision support to increase productivity and profitability.