There have been many articles published about the dilemma facing growers in the Great Plains when it comes to irrigation. The challenge growers and decision makers face in preserving aquifers for agricultural use, without allowing them to be drained to unsustainable levels, is daunting. 

After 2 years of political wrangling, U.S. lawmakers and President Barack Obama have approved a 5-year Farm Bill, also known as the Agricultural Act of 2014.

While reviewing some interesting material I received recently at the No-Till on the Plains Winter Conference in Salina, Kan., I came upon a Top 10 list — one that pertains to farming, not pop culture or show business.

John Baker maintains the consequences of plowing today are serious enough that tillage tools should come with warning labels that are similar to cigarettes.

I must admit to playing a little catch-up after spending all of last week in Springfield, Ill., working with my colleagues at No-Till Farmer to host the 22nd annual National No-Tillage Conference. Our second-largest crowd ever with 1,024 attendees took in 4 days of no-till learning at the Springfield Hilton. While there were plenty of familiar faces, we still saw 408 first-time attendees. More than 500 first-timers were on hand last year at the NNTC in Indianapolis.

No-tillers who use summer fallow in their rotations and are enrolled in crop insurance should exercise caution if they plan to seed or graze cover crops this year.

In recent years, we’re produced a number of No-Till Farmer articles on the benefits of utilizing gypsum to improve plant nutrition and soil structure. Now, new research from Ohio State University indicates gypsum may play a key role in controlling the harmful algal blooms that are a growing concern in Lake Erie, the Chesapeake Bay, the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.

At No-Till Farmer we often tell readers that we can share with you the ingredients for successful no-till practices, but to make them work on your farm, you need to write your own recipe.

If you use cover crops and allow waterfowl hunters onto your property in the fall, you should pay close attention here.

From 1991 until 1996, our publishing company produced a newsletter called Ridge-Till Hotline that was similar to what we were doing with No-Till Farmer. While the response to this paid newsletter was favorable, by the mid 1990s we didn't feel the ridge-till acres were going to continue to grow. So we halted publication, much to the regret of many die-hard ridge-tillers.