On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Martin-Till, Brian and Darren Hefty, fourth-generation farmers and hosts of Ag PhD, share tips for treating tar spot in corn. The fungal disease is once again making its presence felt in 11 states this summer.

The Illinois Corn Precision Conservation Management (PCM) program released data from 8 years of studies comparing the profitability of various tillage systems in east central Illinois. The Univ. of Illinois breaks down some key data that shows how no-till stacks up to 1-pass tillage systems.

Later in the episode, we head to Cantril, Iowa, for the Zimmerman Manufacturing Strip-Till Field Day. Managing editor Michaela Paukner catches up with organic farmer Mark Dobson, who strip-tills soybeans through cover crops. Plus, No-Till Innovator Marion Calmer checks in from Alpha, Ill., with a preview of his upcoming National Strip-Tillage Conference presentation.

In the Cover Crop Connection, Rodrigo Werle, weed scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, shares the latest findings from his research on cereal rye weed suppression.

We also set the stage for the upcoming Precision Specialist Week with a look at why precision farming specialists are often the unsung heroes, behind the scenes really making agriculture go.

Finally, Our Photos of the Week showcase the latest cover crop trials at the Allison Organic Research and Demonstration Farm at Western Illinois University.

This episode of Conservation Ag Update is brought to you by Martin-Till.

Our customers believe that Martin-Till®️ products provide an excellent return on their investment. We know this because a large percentage of them are repeat customers since the beginning in 1991. Our planter attachments help make it possible to plant into higher levels of residue and moisture. Higher levels of mulch means less erosion, improved soil tilth and fertility, which can reduce production costs.

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TRANSCRIPT

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Tar Spot Confirmed in Corn in 11 States

Tar spot, a fungal disease in corn that could cost you up to 60 bushels per acre, is once again showing up across much of the Corn Belt and even as far south as Georgia.

Check out this latest map from the Crop Protection Network. The orange represents positive cases in 11 states, with Indiana having the widest outbreak.

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Here’s what it looks like. The dots are fungal fruiting structures that severely interfere with photosynthesis. Brian and Darren Hefty, fourth-generation farmers, agronomists and hosts of Ag PhD, warned farmers about tar spot earlier this year at Commodity Classic. How should no-tillers treat it? Here’s what they recommend. 

Brian Hefty: “We like the really early timing of V4-V6 in the dry areas. But honestly, BASF has been talking about this ‘5 feet, time to treat’ thing (V8-V12), when we start talking about tar spot, that is maybe even on the early side. We’d tell you probably maybe a week or 2 before tassel. That'd be when I'd probably spray for tar spot and then spray again about 3 weeks later.”

Darren Hefty: “We’re seeing a lot of folks that are tank mixing, building their own 2-3 modes of action product. In some cases, you might be able to do it cheaper, but there are plenty of 3-ways that can be used.” 

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The Hefty brothers compiled this table of corn fungicides for tar spot, comparing each brand name’s modes of action and approximate cost. Take a screen shot, you’ve got lots of choices. 

How Does No-Till Stack Up to 1-Pass Tillage? 

The Illinois Corn Precision Conservation Management (PCM) program released data from 8 years of studies comparing the profitability of various tillage systems in east central Illinois. Among the key takeaways, no-till is a consistently profitable choice. Gary Schnitkey, Ag and Consumer Economics Professor with the University of Illinois broke it down during a recent webinar.

“You can see in the most recent 2 years, 2022 and 2023, no-till has had an advantage over 1-pass systems — $48 in 2022, $26 in 2023. The biggest difference was in 2018 when we had a $47 advantage for 1-pass systems. If you’re looking at those from year to year to year, they do vary and there is a significant difference by year, but it’s hard to tell which year you’re going to have before it begins.” 

Schnitkey dives deeper into the data during the 1-hour webinar. We included a link in the article on No-TillFarmer.com.

Strip-Till Versatility on Display at Zimmerman Field Day

Zimmerman hosted a strip-till field day last week at their manufacturing facility in Cantril, Iowa. 

Attendees got an up-close look at multiple strip-till rigs in action. During the event, Michaela caught up with Donnellson, Iowa, farmer Mark Dobson, who strip-tills soybeans right through cover crops on his certified organic farm. After switching to a Zimmerman toolbar, he’s doubled the acres he can strip-till in a day because he doesn’t have to get out of the cab as often. The benefits don’t stop there.

“I like the strip-till system because of nutrient placement. For a lot of people, it’s about the tillage component. It’s a nice marriage of the two. I like the ability to plant on top of nutrients and know they’re there. I rent some ground sometimes that doesn’t have the nicest soil tests, but then I know I can still have a lot of the fertility there for the crop. Another thing I like, when you look at it from a soil disturbance standpoint, you’re basically talking 6-8 inches of the 30 inches you’re farming that is disturbed. You’re not disturbing everything. Even though you’re still working some of the ground, you’re not disturbing the whole system. I do controlled traffic. On my farm I’m still in the same spot I was in 2011. I don’t move out of the same strips. I haven’t worked certain areas for several years. There’s been a lot of push to no-till and regenerative.  A good part of my acres don’t see tillage because I’m following controlled traffic.”

Speaking of strip-till, the 2024 National Strip-Tillage Conference kicks off Aug. 8 in Madison, Wis. Reserve your spot at StripTillConference.com. Use the promo code CAU to get $50 off your registration fee.

Marion Calmer Previews 2024 National Strip-Tillage Conference 

No-Till Innovator Marion Calmer is going to be there. And he joins us now from Alpha, Ill., for a quick preview of his presentation. Marion, take it away!

“My topic this year is, ‘Did Strip-Till Solve My Nutrient Stratification Problems?’ Last fall, we pulled the SoilWarrior out here and put the nutrients in the trench. We’re going to look at that, and we’ll show you the soil test data that compares long-term surface applied vs. what I call virgin soil or long-term cover crop scenario, and last but not least, were we able to incorporate those nutrients and get them a little bit lower with the strip-till bar?”

Waterhemp Management Research Plots

At an upcoming waterhemp management plot tour on O’Brien Family Farm in Brooklyn, Wis., I’ll be hearing from Rodrigo Werle, weed scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as others as they walk us through their weed suppression research. 

This is a look at the university’s cereal rye weed suppression research, featured at the 2023 plot tour. I’ll have an update on that in the coming weeks.  

“This was treated about 20 days ago with 32 fluid ounces of Liberty plus 3 pounds of AMS 15 GPA. And here is what we are seeing 20 days after. My next treatment here is Enlist. Enlist was sprayed about twenty days ago — 32 fluid ounces of Enlist 1 or 2,4-D choline, 15 GPA and 2 pounds of AMS. Now I am going to walk you to one of the treatments where we just mix the two treatments together because that has been a common question for our growers — should we be mixing Enlist and 2,4-D, and this is what we are seeing here. So this is the plot where we mixed Enlist 1, which is 2,4-D choline, plus Liberty, which is glufosinate, together so 32 and 32 fluid ounces of each product, plus 3 pounds of AMS, and here you see the excellent control.”

You can catch Rodrigo Werle at the 2024 National Strip-Tillage Conference in Madison, Wis., on Thursday, August 8 as he gives a presentation about applying integrated weed management in strip-till systems, or tune in to the next episode of Conservation Ag Update to see the results from the 2024 trials.

Precision Specialists Come to the Rescue

It’s once again time to celebrate the hard work of those making today’s precision farming systems possible during the 2nd annual Precision Specialist Week. It’s coming up August 11th. Lessiter Media president and Farm Equipment editor Mike Lessiter shares some perspective on why it’s an important week. 

“We’ve been serving farmers for more than 50 years here with our publications, and since we got into the Precision Farming Dealer space many years ago, we’ve come to learn the success stories and how that precision specialist saved a planting or harvesting season, was there on call in the middle of the night and went well and beyond to keep that farmer moving. As we learned of these, we wanted a chance to celebrate the precision farming specialist, who’s really the go-to for many farmers at their key point of year. They simply couldn’t get it done without these guys and gals, who put their life on hold to make sure that farmer can keep going.

“It is sometimes a thankless job, long hours during planting, spring and harvest. But this is our way of recognizing those behind the scenes really making agriculture go.”

If you want to honor your precision specialist, head to Farm-Equipment.com/PSWeek. 

Photos of the Week: WIU Organic Research Farm

And let’s wrap things up with our Photos of the Week, coming to us this week from the Allison Organic Research and Demonstration Farm at Western Illinois University. 

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Lots of interesting stuff going on out there. This first one is Turkish okra. The middle zone was no-tilled into rolled peas.

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They had a bad storm July 15, as you can see from this row of Wacther’s True Gold corn bent over just a few days later.

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Here’s a look at medium red clover, sweet clover and Italian ryegrass established by frost seeding into SRW wheat. 

And here’s a photo from Sumo oats harvest on July 19. The oats were drilled March 2 and then frost seeded the following day with red clover at a rate of 10 pounds per acre using a Herd broadcast seeder. 

Have an interesting photo or video from your farm? Or a story you’d like us to feature on the broadcast? Send me an email at Nnewman@lesspub.com.

And that will wrap things up this edition of Conservation Ag Update. Until next time, for more stories visit no-tillfarmer.com, striptillfarmer.com and covercropstrategies.com. Before we go, let’s send it out to Dave Hula for a preview of his upcoming presentation at the National Strip-Tillage Conference. Thanks for tuning in! Have a great day!