No-Till Farmer editors encounter a variety of articles, social media posts, podcasts and videos that offer a unique look at the grower's world from the lofty digital realm. Here is our favorite content from the past week from across the web:
- 2022 NCGA Highest-Yielding No-Tiller Topdressed Corn 11 Times
- Hora: No-Till, Cover Crops ‘Have Been Branded Wrong’
- Decade of Continuous No-Till Eliminates Wet Holes in Field Without Drain Tile
- 5 Tips for Trying No-Till for the First Time
- Why Healthy Soil Biology Is Like Good Beer
Best of the Web This Week is brought to you by TOTAL ACRE.
For growers motivated to improvement through change and technology, TOTAL ACRE is a 3-year program where hundreds of growers nationally learn from two of the highest-yielding farmers in the world, Randy Dowdy and David Hula. Each Total Acre grower benefits from four 2-day farm camps every year, a dynamic customized software system and a community support that extends well beyond the program.
See David and Randy at the 2023 National No-Tillage Conference in St. Louis!
2022 NCGA Highest-Yielding No-Tiller Topdressed Corn 11 Times
Maryland no-tiller and NCGA high-yield corn contest winner Drew Haines took topdressing to the extreme in 2022. He made 11 topdress passes, starting when his corn was only 3 inches tall and going all the way through black layer. “I just went balls to the wall on everything this year,” Haines tells American Agriculturist in this article about the strategies he uses on his contest plot and beyond.
Hora: No-Till, Cover Crops ‘Have Been Branded Wrong’
No-tiller and agronomist Mitchell Hora says no-till and cover crops have a branding problem. They’re seen as a defensive measure against soil erosion and water quality issues, but cover crops in particular are actually an offensive tool. “It’s my nutrient stabilizer. It’s my herbicide program. It’s my moisture management program. It’s my soil building program. It’s my resiliency program,” Hora says in this episode of U.S. Farm Report.
Decade of Continuous No-Till Eliminates Wet Holes in Field Without Drain Tile
When Matt Burkholder started farming this field in Allen County, Ohio, he had to contend with three wet holes. As he explains in this YouTube video, years of continuous no-till and cover crops in heavy clay soils, those wet holes have disappeared and the soil structure has improved.
5 Tips for Trying No-Till for the First Time
When you share the video of Mitchell Hora’s explanation of all the offensive benefits of a no-till and cover crop system with a farmer thinking about trying no-till, be sure to also send them this list of five tips for first-time no-tillers. The list covers residue management, equipment considerations and more. (P.S. The No-Till 101 page on our website is also a great resource for new no-tillers!)
Why Healthy Soil Biology Is Like Good Beer
In this episode of the 4 the Soil podcast, Understanding Ag’s Jon Stika, who’s also a part-time research professional at North Dakota State University's Dickinson Research and Extension Center and author of A Soil Owner's Manual, shares his perspective on keeping soil biology alive and happy for healthier soils.
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Best of the Web This Week is brought to you by TOTAL ACRE.
For growers motivated to improvement through change and technology, TOTAL ACRE is a 3-year program where hundreds of growers nationally learn from two of the highest-yielding farmers in the world, Randy Dowdy and David Hula. Each Total Acre grower benefits from four 2-day farm camps every year, a dynamic customized software system and a community support that extends well beyond the program.
See David and Randy at the 2023 National No-Tillage Conference in St. Louis!
