More in Strip-Till

Feb. 22, 2013

Article

Winter Weather Loosened Soil; No-Till a Viable Option

Cold winter temperatures and increased precipitation have helped loosen soils enough that spring tillage might not be necessary in Indiana farm fields, says Tony Vyn, a Purdue Extension agronomist. Multiple freeze-thaw cycles, plus numerous wetting and drying cycles brought on by the arrival of enough snow and rain have made no-till an even more viable and attractive option for corn and soybean growers than it was last spring....More
Feb. 22, 2013

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

Think Different: Rethink Agronomics 2013

As with most farm business decisions, very few escape without some type of tradeoff, be it labor, time or money. Our cover story may challenge your beliefs if you're sold on 30-in. row soybeans, because you lose yield (range from 2.9 to 4.5 bu./acre) compared to 15-in. – according to a three-year, six-state university trial....More
Feb. 12, 2013

Article

Will Snowfall Increase Soil Moisture in Drought-Stricken Areas?

Except for the Pacific Northwest and state of Louisiana, much of the area west of the Mississippi River is still experiencing severe to exceptional drought, causing real concern that last year's drought will extend into the 2013 growing season. Snow can certainly help return moisture to the soils in some of these areas, but a lot needs to fall to make an impact; 10 in. of snow only equals about an inch of rain....More
Feb. 6, 2013

Article

Forests, Trees and Paul Harvey

Unless you've been under a rock, you've likely seen - or at the very least, heard about - the Dodge Ram advertisement heralding farmers during Sunday night's Super Bowl. It featured a powerful and nostalgic reading of the poem, "So God Made a Farmer," as delivered by Paul Harvey to the 1978 FFA Convention....More
Feb. 1, 2013

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

Sidedress Yields Big Returns | This Simple Rig Helped Slash N Use, Reduce Runoff Concerns

For Jason Sheehan, cutting input costs was the main impetus for moving to variable-rate fertilizer application and N sidedressing. Reducing the potential for any off-site movement was a close second....More
Jan. 28, 2013

Article

Education, Support for Conservation Tillage is Focus of Conference

When it became apparent that the dry spell many Ohio growers experienced last year would become the worst drought in 50 years, David Brandt wasn't worried about how well corn and soybeans on his 1,150-acre farm would fare. The Carroll, Ohio, farmer instead relied upon a natural form of insurance that left the soils in his fields protected against the devastating effects of the record heat and drought that decimated many farmers nationwide in 2012....More
Jan. 23, 2013

Article

Soybean Growers from Indiana, Kansas and Mississippi Win Conservation Awards

The American Soybean Association (ASA) is pleased to announce the regional winners of the 2013 Conservation Legacy Awards program: Midwest Region Winner: Gail Fuller from Emporia, Kan.; Northeast Region Winner: Roger Wenning from Greensburg, Ind.; South Region Winner: Jeremy Jack from Belzoni, Miss....More
Jan. 18, 2013

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

Think Different: Why The Brown Revolution?

It's all about a Think Different approach with the valuable resource that some farmers and investors are paying upwards of $15,000/acre. It's about the need to rebuild and improve the natural biological processes in your soil, so you and your landlord can gain greater efficiency and return on investment....More
Jan. 17, 2013

Article

NRCS Soil Health Fact Sheets

As a part of the Unlock the Secrets of the Soil campaign, USDA NRCS has put together some soil health fact sheets. From no-till to cover crops, NRCS is giving you basics and other tips to help you get the most from your soil....More
Jan. 17, 2013

Article

Soil Secrets

The Natural Resources Conservation Service has launched a new campaign: Unlock the Secrets in the Soil. “As world population and food production demands rise, keeping our soil healthy and productive is of paramount importance. So much so that we believe improving the health of our nation’s soil is one of the most important endeavors of our time,” says NRCS....More
Jan. 11, 2013

Article

Voluntary Conservation Approaches Working in Chesapeake Bay Region

Penn State Cooperative Extension works closely with other partners in the public and private sector to help restore the Chesapeake Bay to its former glory by researching, educating and promoting Best Management Practices (BMPs) to control erosion, nutrient losses and pesticide losses. We are relying heavily on voluntary action by land users and prefer this approach over the strait jacket legal approaches. The question: Is this approach working?...More
Dec. 25, 2012

Article

More Yield from Your Fields: Increase Plant Available Water

Water, either too much or too little, may be the single most important factor in determining crop yields when other production factors such as genetics, seeding rate, planting date, fertility, weed, insect and disease control, etc. are held constant. For example, 200-bu. corn will need about 22 in. of plant available water....More
Dec. 14, 2012

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

Farming is a Global Driver | Food Resource Among 7 Key Revolutions

Global changes in 2050 may come more quickly and urgently and expand exponentially. That's the assessment of Scott Aughenbaugh, fellow, Seven Revolutions Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, D.C. Agriculture could play a pivotal role within what he calls the seven drivers of change, he says....More
Dec. 1, 2012

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

Reverse Erosion

Do you base farm decisions on soil quality? Clay Mitchell does, as he deems it the ultimate resource. That’s why he redistributes accumulated topsoil across parts of his family’s 2,500-acre Buckingham, Iowa, corn and soybean operation. Besides building long-term soil productivity, moving surplus topsoil from valley to hilltop also boosts land value....More
Nov. 30, 2012

gallery

Vertical Tillage Photos
Nov. 30, 2012

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

Vertical Tillage Tips

No two shallow vertical tillage tools are the same, says Curt Weisenbeck, Agronomic Consulting, Durand, Wis. “Each tool behaves differently in different soils and terrain.” For example, independently mounted blades are better for rocky fields or irregular topography. Different types of blades – straight, concave, smooth or fluted – determine how much soil is disturbed....More
Nov. 30, 2012

gallery

Vertical Tillage Not a Yield Driver

Do improved planting conditions following shallow vertical tillage result in higher crop yields? “Fine-textured soils and early planting are the two conditions where shallow vertical tillage may provide a yield benefit, compared to no-till,” says Mike Staton, Michigan State University Extension soybean agronomist,” in reference to studies from Michigan, Indiana and Canada.
Nov. 29, 2012

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

Vertical Tillage Should Be Conservative, Shallow

How much soil is disturbed by shallow vertical tillage? The answer depends on the tool, the soil and the tillage depth, says Kevan Klingberg, a University of Wisconsin Extension outreach specialist. Many farmers value these implements to size residue, condition the seedbed and incorporate nutrients, he says....More
Nov. 29, 2012

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

Soil Warmer | Shallow Vertical Tillage Aids Residue Management, Seedbed Prep

Cold spring soils are sparking a hot new form of tillage. Shallow vertical tillage tools slice crop residue and loosen the top layer of soil while leaving most of the residue on the surface to protect soil from erosion. The practice speeds up residue breakdown and improves spring planting conditions – without sacrificing the soil conservation benefits of high residue cover....More
Nov. 27, 2012

blog

Custom Rates, Machinery Cost and Bin Checks

An increased number of farm operators are now providing some type of custom work to other farmers during the growing season. Many times, the farmers involved in custom work arrangements wonder what a fair custom rate is for the various faming practices that were performed....More
Nov. 19, 2012

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

Landscape Restoration Builds Soil Quality, Bottom Line 3

Clay Mitchell, Buckingham, Iowa, farmer and biomedical engineer spoke about using technology on the farm at the Advanced Agronomy Conference in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on Nov. 19. Mitchell moved valuable topsoil from grass waterways, where silt accumulated, to areas lacking in topsoil. With a goal of 8 in. topsoil depth across most areas, he scraped topsoil from “surplus”-topsoil areas (such as along grass waterways)....More
Nov. 19, 2012

video

Water Erosion: A Case for Conservation Tillage

CSD reader Alan Adams, Sandwich, Ill., captured this video during a 2-in. rain. One field had recently been tilled using conventional methods. The runoff is visibly extensive. The neighboring field had been strip-tilled, and basically absorbed the water. While there is visible water in the headlands, it isn't silt-filled like the water in the conventionally tilled field. He also included video of silt-laden runoff mixing with clear water coming out of a culvert. The whole video sure makes a case for conservation tillage!...More
Nov. 15, 2012

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

Think Different: Three-Decade Crusade

Think back 30 years. 1982. Reagan inhabited the White House. The earth was home to 4.6 billion people. Some brilliant forward-thinking scientists had created a space shuttle, the MRI diagnostic machine, and the first artificial heart. And some agricultural visionaries quietly started a conservation revolution....More
Nov. 9, 2012

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

Soil wealth | Why North America Feeds the World

North America is blessed with a disproportionate share of the world's best agricultural soil. It is no coincidence that the U.S. is one of the few countries that’s a net exporter of food – North America has 17% of the world's arable land, but less than 7% of the world's population. As the human population approaches 10 billion people later this century, productive farmland will become an increasingly strategic resource as the amount per capita declines by as much as half....More
Nov. 9, 2012

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

Think Different: The Tillage Trap

Most farmers like tillage. Soil really doesn't like it. Too deep or poor timing is simply bad for its health. And this year, given the drought, you lose valuable soil moisture and clog soil pores....More