Items Tagged with 'ARS'

ARTICLES

Long-term Studies Indicate ‘The More the Merrier’ in Crop Rotations

Studies spanning 60-years of data show farms are more resilient to the vagaries of markets, policy meddling and weather with more diverse crop rotations.

By Dan Crummett posted on October 9, 2024 | Posted in Nutrient Management, Soil Health

A recent report from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service has some interesting insights on the benefits of crop rotations, but researchers caution the “long view” is needed to fully capitalize on such improvements.

Growers Use Chart to Help Choose Cover Crops

June 10, 2015 | Posted in Cover Crops

Source: USDA-ARS

An online tool called the "Cover Crop Chart" is helping U.S. farmers decide which cover crops to plant and is generating interest from growers in other countries.

USDA Scientists Develop Higher Yielding Sorghum Plants

February 6, 2015 | Posted in Seeding & Planting

By taking advantage of a plant part called a 'spikelet,' scientists developed a mutant sorghum plant that produces 30-40% more seeds.

USDA Finds Cover Crops Can Reduce Nitrate Load Runoff

February 6, 2015 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Nutrient Management, Water Management

USDA researchers say that winter rye crops seeded in no-till corn-soybean systems have the potential to reduce annual nitrate loss in field drainage by about 18 pounds per acre.

Soil Mapping Collaboration Aims to Improve Predictive Farm Management Practices

October 6, 2014 | Posted in Precision Agriculture, Soil Health

A team at the University of Missouri and USDA-ARS used yield data from more than 400 corn fields in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Indiana to compare county soil maps with Environmental Response Unit (ERU) maps developed in collaboration with DuPont Pioneer.

Encouraging Good Insects And Limiting The Bad Ones

No-till and biodiversity can preserve beneficial insect populations that naturally control crop pests, and possibly reduce insecticide usage, says a USDA expert.

By Mark Parker posted on June 1, 2012 | Posted in Crop Protection

The prevalent attitude that the only good bug is a dead bug is leading agriculture down a perilous road, says Jonathan Lundgren, an entomologist at the USDA-ARS laboratory in Brookings, S.D.

Roller-Crimper Can Aid No-Till Vegetable System

July 6, 2011 | Posted in Cover Crops, Equipment, Residue Management

Source: By Rick Boydston and Marty Williams, USDA

Cover crop roller-crimpers have several advantages over mowing, in that fewer trips are required to suppress the cover crop, less energy is used, residues persist longer and the residue is neatly laid in one direction, facilitating planting.

Southeast No-Tillers Finding Benefits To Heavy Cover Crops

Better water management, weed suppression helping to boost yield in system.

By Mark Moore posted on December 1, 2007 | Posted in Cover Crops, Residue Management, Water Management

A recent article in No-Till Farmer cautioned that growers should kill ryegrass cover crops before they get taller than 2 feet.

New Soybean Pulls Nitrogen From The Soil, Not The Air

January 1, 2007 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Nutrient Management

No-tillers who keep livestock might soon be able to plant a non-transgenically modified soybean variety that removes large amounts of soil-applied nitrogen. If the germplasm is further developed into a new cultivar, it could be used by animal producers to manage waste generated by their operations.

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Videos

Sustainable Agriculture Summit Shines Light on No-Till, Strip Till & Cover Crops

During the Sustainable Agriculture Summit in Minneapolis, Minn., Carrie Vollmer-Sanders, the president of Field to Market who also farms in Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio, shared why it is important for no-tillers and strip-tillers to share their knowledge with other farmers.

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