National No-Tillage Conference

CONFERENCE PROGRAM

VETERAN NO-TILLERS TO HEADLINE 2019 CONFERENCE

“Lessons Learned from 38 years of No-Till Farming Transitions”

Dick Wittman
No-Tiller and Farm Business Consultant
Lewiston, Idaho

Lewiston, Idaho no-tiller and farm business consultant Dick Wittman will make his first speaking appearance at NNTC. Dedication to conservation and community is what’s driven Wittman and his family business partners to pursue no-till, combining the practice with a healthy rotation of fall- and spring-seeded crops that comprise a sustainable cropping system among the steep hills of the Palouse.

In his general session, Wittman will profile the evolution of his farm’s no-till practices over the last four decades, supported by the formation of the Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Assn., and discuss the importance of balancing economic with environmental benefits to improve profitability and quality of life on no-till operations. Wittman will also examine the value of collaborations with non-traditional partners and the importance of engaging in policy development related to conservation tillage.

Recognizing no-tillers today operate in a global environment where how goods are produced are almost as important as what is produced, Wittman’s classroom presentation will introduce the “principles of process improvement.” Wittman will show how no-tillers can implement process improvement on their farm, including developing standard operating procedures and identifying the risks of operating without them.

“No-Till Isn’t Just Planting — It’s a Year-Round Ecological System”

Trey Hill
No-Tiller
Rock Hall, Maryland

Innovative Rock Hall, Md., no-tiller Trey Hill will make his first speaking appearance at NNTC, discussing many of the cutting-edge planting and nutrient management practices being implemented on his 13,000-acre farm.

Hill will share in his general session how he effectively no-tills 13,000 acres of cover crops and cash crops at Harborview Farms while still doing his part to safeguard the environmentally sensitive Chesapeake Bay watershed. He’ll discuss the advantages and challenges of planting cash crops green into living cover crops vs. planting brown, and share some of the game-changing goals he’s set for his no-till operation as he participates in Bayer CropScience’s FarmForward initiative.

Hill will outline in his classroom session how he uses the whole no-till toolbox to manage nitrogen with precision on his operation. Hill will discuss how he balances carbon-to-nitrogen ratios with his cover crop program to balance organic matter production with nutrient availability, factoring in termination timing and starter fertilizer rates to optimize his N investment. Hill will also share precision tools he uses to diagnose and fix N management issues.

“How Seeding Cover Crops Can Slash Your Fertilizer Bills”

David Brandt
No-Tiller
Carroll, Ohio

Carroll, Ohio no-tiller David Brandt will make another return to our 2019 event, bringing his expertise in cover crops, soil health and farm profitability to the table for attendees. In his general session, Brandt will help no-tillers understand how they can get more ROI from covers through making the proper adjustments to their farm’s nutrient program to reduce fertilizer costs without sacrificing yield.

Brandt will also share research data on 25 different corn hybrids seeded into high-biomass cover crops on his farm to examine differences in corn emergence, stands and yield. In his classroom session, Brandt will discuss what he’s learned from many years of interseeding cover crops into cash crops on his 1,100-acre farm, including what cover crop species have worked best and what his on-farm data has shown in terms of yield. Brandt will also discuss how corn hybrid choices and populations factor into successful cover crop establishment, and what to keep in mind when choosing interseeding equipment to achieve your no-till goals.