TARGETED KNOWLEDGE. In-depth No-Till Classrooms let attendees zero in on specific topics. Howard Martin (L) of Howard Industries in Elkton, Ky., and John Bradley of the Milan Experiment Station in Milan, Tenn., stress the critical role of row cleaners in no-till operations.

NNTC Insights...

Deep-Banding Starch Pays with No-Till

John Walker told attendees deep-banding starch has the potential to increase yields with almost any no-till crop. The agronomist at Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho, told attendees to use granulated starch rather than powdered starch, mix it with starter fertilizer and deep band the mixture with the planter at a rate of at least 20 pounds of granulated starch per acre.

No-Tilling the Worst Ground on the Planet

Once Carlos Crovetto started no-tilling in 1978, the quality of his farming life greatly improved. Over nearly two decades of no-tilling, the Conception, Chile, grower used less fertilizer while increasing soil quality and yields.

He maintains no-till must be permanent, which means always leaving 100% of the residue on the soil surface. Yields with continuous no-till corn have been as high as 316 bushels per acre along with 170-bushel no-till wheat yields.