NNTC Insights...

Heavy No-Tilled Soils Need More Field Scouting

With the heavy soils in northwestern Ohio, Joe Nester likes to no-till with what he calls a defensive soybean program. The crop consultant from Antwerp, Ohio, says Roundup Ready soybean fields that are no-tilled need to be scouted more often than fields planted to traditional varieties. Just because these fields are free of weeds today doesn’t mean they will be next week.

Nester is recommending no-tilling more Bt corn hybrids than in previous years on these heavier soils. He’s convinced hybrids with this trait will perform better under cold and wet soil conditions.

Aussies Concerned with Salinity Content of Their Soils

By 2025, Bill Crabtree says Australia farmers expect salt to be a major soil concern on 30% of their ground. The no-till crop consultant from Northam, Western Australia, says 30% of fields may have major salinity concerns. Just 40 yards under the soil surface, there may be as much as 2,000 tons of salt per acre, so there is a huge problem with salinity.

With 60% of the Australian cropland being no-tilled, Crabtree says precision seed placement and improving the ability to tolerate drought have been major benefits of no-till.