Trash talk | Tips On How To Manage Residue With Corn On Corn
More northern Corn Belt farmers are planting continuous corn, and that means more hard-to-handle residue left in fields. Higher plant populations, better-yielding hybrids, less aggressive tillage and the cold climate – which slows down decay – all increase the mounds of debris.
Total Teamwork | After Two Minnesota Farmers Lost Leased Land to Rising Cash Rents, They Decided to Work Together
The run-up in cash rents prompted two Red River Valley farmers to join forces to stay profitable. Gaylen Affield and Jared Nordick raise corn and soybeans in the rich glacial soils of ancient Lake Agassiz, along the Minnesota-North Dakota border. The Wilkin County, MN, growers also operate two successful farm-related businesses together – a Precision Planting dealership and an excavation service. After both men lost leased cropland to rising cash rents, they teamed up on their farming operations, too.
Mother Nature’s Drain Cleaners | Wetlands Slash Nutrient Losses in Farm Drainage Water
Allan Armbrecht is using a natural “drain cleaner” to purify tile water. The Colo, IA, farmer and his neighbor installed a 10-acre wetland below several existing tile outlets. The wetland reduces nitrates flowing from 1,100 acres of cropland, keeping pollutants out of the nearby Skunk River. It also provides wildlife habitat; and all without lowering drainage efficiency.
Rolling Stones | If you Have Rocks (and Root Balls), Should you Roll?
“Rattle! Clank! Whomp!” There’s quite a racket coming from Gary Dierks’ newly planted soybean field. It’s the sound of rocks and corn root balls being pushed down into the soil by a 50-ft. Degelman land roller sweeping over the field. Land rolling is catching on with Upper Midwest soybean growers.
Mix Master | South Dakota Grower Blends Cover-Crop ‘Cocktails’ for Multiple Benefits
Dan Forgey is a master of mixology. His signature cocktails are blends of grasses, legumes and brassicas. He is agronomy manager for Cronin Farms, an 8,500-acre crop and cow-calf operation in central South Dakota. He grows eight cash crops – including corn, soybeans and wheat – and juggles an equal number of cover crops, which include field peas, oats, turnips, radishes, canola and flax.
Bean Genes: Do Your Homework | Put the Right Soybean Variety in the Right Field
Father knows best. That’s why – when it comes to selecting soybean varieties – Dick Mahoney gets advice from his son. Dick, 57, farms in west-central Minnesota. His son John, 34, is an agronomist for Centrol Crop Consulting. Dick has been farming for 35 years and has plenty of experience choosing seeds. But the speed of genetic advances makes variety selection increasingly complex, he says. And rising seed costs put more on the line than ever before.
