CONFERENCE PROGRAM
We’re excited to bring you this unique, one-of-a-kind learning experience assembling the best no-tillers, agronomists and researchers together in one location to share cutting-edge ideas, techniques and strategies to raise your level of no-till profitability, efficiency and efficacy.
Daily Agenda
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9
9:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
No-Till Registration Time (2nd Floor)
Get Registered! Pick up your conference materials, including FREE Special No-Till Reports valued at $137.70.
6:30 a.m. to 8:20 a.m.
Breakfast on Your own
Check out the many restaurants near the Indianapolis Marriott downtown or visit the Corner's Kitchen & Bar right in the hotel for a gourmet breakfast. Make your reservations early as the restaurant fills up fast!
8:20 to 8:30 a.m.
Official Kickoff to the 27th Annual National No-Tillage Conference Marriott 5-6 (2nd Floor)
Join us in the Marriott ballroom as the No-Till Farmer staff sets the stage for 3 days of intensive no-till learning.
8:30 to 9:20 a.m.
General Session: No-Till Isn’t Just Planting—It’s a Year-Round Ecological System Marriott 5-6 (2nd Floor)
No-Tillers are known for being solid, traditional and having a steady hand at the wheel. But as farming gets tougher and more complex, there’s a need for no-tillers to innovate to be successful in the future, says Trey Hill.
Viewing farming as a creative endeavor, the Rock Hall, Md., no-tiller will share 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.
Trey Hill
No-Tiller, Rock Hall, MD.
9:20 to 10:10 a.m.
General Session: Getting the Most from Your No-Till Operation by Farming Green Marriott 5-6 (2nd Floor)
To Rick Clark, “farming green” is a systematic approach to regenerative soil health and that’s what he brings to the 7,000 acres he manages at both Clark Land & Cattle and for his family. A main component of his no-till system is maximizing cover crop performance and planting his cash crops into living covers to build biomass, suppress weeds, recycle nutrients and feed soil microbes.
The Williamsport, Ind., no-tiller of non-GMO corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa will share details about his unique system of tissue testing cover crops in spring to analyze soil nutrients taken up that could be available for the next cash crop. He’ll also share adjustments he’s made to successfully no-till crops into green cover crops.
Rick Clark
No-Tiller, Williamsport, IND.
10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Choose from 6 High-Powered No-Till Classrooms (1st Set)
11:45 to 1:15 p.m.
The Annual NNTC Luncheon with Support from AgroLiquid (Included in registration fee)
11th Annual Responsible Nutrient Management Practitioners Program Marriott 1-6 (2nd Floor)
AgroLiquid and No-Till Farmer will recognize three no-tillers judged to be environmentally, economically and practically responsible with their no-till nutrient management programs.
The fertility practices and techniques utilized by these top-notch no-tillers — recognized as Responsible Nutrient Management Practitioners — will provide you with some valuable ideas to consider in your own no-till operation for the coming year.
1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
20 Super No-Till Roundtables (1st Set)
2:30 to 3:10 p.m.
Networking/Refreshment Break
Continue discussions from this afternoon's roundtables and get ready for another round of no-till general sessions with coffee and refreshments courtesy of Cross Slot.
3:15 to 4:30 p.m.
Harry Young Jr. Memorial Lecture Series Made possible with the support of Dawn Equipment
Making Your Cover Crops Pay Off —Every Day of the Year Marriott 5-6 (2nd Floor)
Cover crops have the potential to do many things for no-tillers, one of the most important being improved nutrient cycling in no-tilled soils that can lead to input savings and a healthier bottom line. But many no-tillers are spending $25-$30 an acre on covers and still spending too much on fertilizer due to poor nutrient management, says David Brandt.
The veteran no-tiller and cover crop expert from Carroll, Ohio, 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.
David Brandt
No-Tiller and Cover Crops Expert, Carroll, Ohio
4:30 to 5:15 p.m.
General Session: Earthworms: Bioengineers and Sentinels of Living No-Tilled Soils Marriott 5-6 (2nd Floor)
Most no-tillers know the presence of earthworms is an important sign of healthy soils, but their role in farming systems goes well beyond simply digesting residue and improving water infiltration with the tunnels they burrow, says Paul Reed Hepperly.
The Maryville, Tenn.-based agricultural consultant, educator and scientist has studied earthworms for many years and will highlight little-known facts about earthworm behavior and the important job these belowground creatures play in nutrient recycling and balancing soil acidity and soil health. The former research director at The Rodale Institute will also share how no-tillers can create a more favorable environment for earthworms.
Paul Hepperly
Agricultural Consultant, Educator and Scientist, Maryville, Tennessee
5:15 to 7:20 p.m.
Dinner on Your Own
Visit the many restaurants near the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown.
7:25 to 8:15 p.m.
General Session: Harvest Sunlight, Cater to Covers and Preserve Corn Yields with Wider Rows
Marriott 5-6 (2nd Floor)
Are you looking for ways to boost soil health without taking fields out of production? Retired John Deere engineer and farm consultant Bob Recker might have the answer: By turning off every other row on your planter and doubling per row populations, 60-inch corn leaves space for cover crops, companion crops, grazing livestock and high-clearance equipment.
Recker, who operates Waterloo, Iowa-based Cedar Valley Innovation, will share how his system — discovered by accident in 2017 and now under study on 23 farms across the Midwest — can help no-tillers build soil health and leverage increased sunlight without dinging corn yields.
Bob Recker
Retired John Deere Engineer & Farm Consultant, Waterloo, Iowa
8:15 to 9:05 p.m.
General Session: Preparing No-Till Operations for the Digital Revolution in Agriculture Marriott 5-6 (2nd Floor)
Many data scientists argue that machine and agronomic data in agriculture fail to meet the definition of “big data.” But the combination of technology and venture capital directed at agriculture are changing the landscape with respect to the food system, says Scott Shearer.
The chair of Ohio State University’s Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering will explain how machine learning and cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), data standards and exchange, data ownership, privacy and security, emerging ecosystems and broadband internet access and automation will affect all facets of food systems in the future and how no-tillers should prepare.
Scott Shearer
Ag Engineering Professor, Ohio State University
9:10 to 11:59 p.m.
Wrap Up Your Day at the NNTC Hospitality Event (Made possible with the support of Hawkins)
Indiana Ballroom (1st Floor)
Enjoy this valuable opportunity to network and talk about the day's presentations and hot no-till topics with your fellow no-tillers while enjoying refreshments and light snacks, courtesy of Hawkins.