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Combating Skyrocketing Costs

By Frank Lessiter posted on March 1, 2008

Nobody has to explain why keeping costs under control should be a major priority during the coming growing season. With prices of everything from seed to fertilizer to pesticides to equipment on the upswing, it’s critical to do everything possible to keep your costs in line.

Rotating Traits Nabs Volunteer Corn

November 1, 2007 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Crop Protection

Crop specialist are recommending trait rotations as no-tillers plant more corn-on-corn to keep up with the growing ethanol demand.

Stripping Secrets, Strategies

Here’s what growers learned this year about strip-tilling continuous corn.

By Frank Lessiter posted on August 1, 2007 | Posted in Strip-Till Farming

Continuous corn acres rose sharply this year as many growers tried to capitalize on increasing corn prices.

Variable-Rate Seeding, Fertilizing Make The Most Of Each Acre

Yields are increasing and becoming more consistent for an Illinois no-tiller who takes time to study his fields and what it takes to reach their full potential.

By Mark Moore posted on June 1, 2007 | Posted in Seeding & Planting

Tim Seifert’s move into variable-rate seeding began with his efforts to reach his maximum yield potential while minimizing input costs.

Mission Possible: Rebuilding A No-Till Planter

Illinois no-tiller takes on the challenge of creating a new planter from a worn-out model and ends up with a like-new planter for about a third of the retail cost.

By Mark Moore posted on April 1, 2007 | Posted in Equipment

Strolling through his dealer’s lot, Paul Butler had his eye on a new no-till planter. But, no matter how hard he pushed the pencil, he couldn’t justify the purchase. “A new model with the features I wanted was going to cost $28,000 to $32,000,” Butler says. “I couldn’t afford that expense.”

What I've Learned from No-Tilling

Cover Crops Offer Big Yield Boosts If Done Correrctly

No-tillers can find success by committing to, selecting and buying their seed early, planting early and controlling the cover crop early and thoroughly the following spring.

By Ron Ross posted on April 1, 2007

It’s hard to remember when we didn’t do some type of no-tilling or reduced-tillage on our southeastern Illinois farm. We really got into high gear around the mid-1980s. Some of our first results were with corn planted into wheat stubble or a red clover cover crop. We took advantage of the PIK (Payment in Kind) federal farm program during those years to make a serious commitment to long-term no-tilling.

Try These Proven No-Till Yield-Boosting, Profit-Building Ideas

Here are 35 timely tips, tricks and techniques that you may be able to put to good use in your no-till operation.

November 1, 2006

Sometimes editors come away from meetings with an assortment of what seem like odds and ends that can’t be turned into a major story. Yet many still seem like good ideas.

What No-Tillers Are Doing Differently This Fall

Faced with higher costs, less moisture and changing cropping opportunities, No-Till Farmer readers are not sitting still, and they’re making significant cropping changes this fall.

By Frank Lessiter posted on October 1, 2006

When we asked No-Till Farmer readers to describe the critical changes they’re making this fall, we received a wide variety of ideas. Faced with needing to make changes based on rising expenses, environmental concerns and weather worries, these innovative no-tillers are adopting a number of different ideas to boost yields, trim costs and improve profitability.

Even Without Asian Rust, It Still Pays To Spray

Spraying fungicides at the R3 stage should be profitable even without finding Asian rust in your no-till soybean fields.

By Frank Lessiter posted on July 1, 2006 | Posted in Crop Protection

Instead of worrying about whether Asian rust is going to hit your no-tilled soybean fields this summer, you should consider spraying fungicides, Wayne Pedersen says. The University of Illinois plant pathologist says it’s likely to pay dividends through control of several late-maturing soybean diseases.

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Herbicide Diversity is Critical

By Frank Lessiter posted on June 1, 2006 | Posted in Crop Protection

With concerns continuing to develop over glyphosate weed resistance in no-tilled crops, weed scientists keep suggesting that growers start using LibertyLink and Clearfield traits that offer alter- native herbicide modes of action.

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Ponds, Panels, Pollinators: No-Till Innovator Takes Conservation to Next Level

On this edition of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by CultivAce, No-Till Farmer’s Conservation Ag Operator Fellow, Ray McCormick, showcases how he’s taking conservation ag to the next level in Vincennes, Ind., with ponds, solar panels, duck hunting and more.

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