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Articles Tagged with ''John Dobberstein''

Get More From Your Nitrogen With Late-Season Stalk Tests

Lessons learned from measuring nitrates as corn reaches physiological maturity can help no-tillers improve nitrogen management and the farm’s bottom line.

By John Dobberstein posted on October 1, 2013 | Posted in Nutrient Management

No-tillers wanting to get a better handle on how efficiently they’re using nitrogen on corn acres should consider late-season corn-stalk nitrate sampling programs, including one offered by the Iowa Soybean Association On-Farm Network.

Shop Built Sidedressing Tool Brings In-Season Flexibility

Strip-tiller Larry Tombaugh combined an old cultivator, SpikeWheel units and a CDS-John Blue pump into a unit that dispenses nitrogen with low soil disturbance.

By John Dobberstein posted on September 1, 2013 | Posted in Equipment, Soil Health

Foreseeing a day when the government will simply forbid fall nitrogen applications, Larry Tombaugh hit the shop last winter to get ahead of the game.

Busting The ‘Colder, Wetter’ Myth With No-Till, Cover Crops

Scenarios in Indiana and Wisconsin seem to question the assumption that no-tilled fields with cover crops are slower to warm up and dry out than conventionally farmed soils.

By John Dobberstein posted on September 1, 2013 | Posted in Soil Health

One challenge often cited about adopting no-till and cover crops in colder climates is that no-tilled fields can be colder and wetter than conventionally tilled fields, potentially causing problems with timely planting and seedling emergence.

Making ‘Never-Till’ Corn Yields That Are Fit For A King

Cover crops, split nitrogen, fungicide applications and higher organic matter are helping Rigdon Farms make a hard run at 300-bushel corn.

By John Dobberstein posted on August 1, 2013 | Posted in Crop Protection, Nutrient Management

Three decades of no-till, or “never till” as John Rigdon calls it, is certainly long enough to establish a tradition at Rigdon Farms, but that’s only part of the story.

Obsession With Soil Health Paves Way For Better No-Tilling

Indiana no-tiller Dave Chance uses a combination of compost, cover crops and vertical tillage to tame high-clay soils and boost yields.

By John Dobberstein posted on August 1, 2013 | Posted in Nutrient Management, Precision Agriculture, Soil Health

For Dave Chance, building a successful no-till system has come from a combination of timely discoveries, deliberate decisions and a healthy fascination with soil health.

Emerging Biologicals Could Help No-Tillers Get More With Less

Bio-ag products are outgrowing their “snake oil” reputation and could bring higher yields at a lower environmental price.

By John Dobberstein posted on August 1, 2013 | Posted in Crop Protection, Nutrient Management

For no-tillers already saving topsoil, reducing fuel usage and controlling input costs, the emerging market of biological products could offer another way to ratchet yields even higher without paying an environmental price.

Short-Season Corn Hybrids Could Expand Cover-Crop Seeding Window

Recent improvements to early-season corn hybrids could help no-tillers raise 200-bushel crops, seed cover crops earlier and capitalize on price advantages.

By John Dobberstein posted on July 1, 2013 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops

One obstacle to cover-crop adoption in cooler northern climates has been the typically narrow window for getting covers quickly seeded and established after corn harvest to capture benefits to no-till soils.

Boost No-Till Profits By Measuring Yield Response — Not Just Yields

Measuring how yields change with inputs and management decisions is a better way to gauge profitability than measuring yields alone, says an Iowa State University researcher

By John Dobberstein posted on June 1, 2013 | Posted in Crop Protection, Nutrient Management

As no-tillers pressured to get the most from every acre and input dollar, it would be wise to consider how profitability is being measured.

How No-Tilling Can Help 'Weatherproof' Your Farm

Protective residue, proper soil management and a better understanding of how plants use water could help no-tillers and strip-tillers survive today’s extreme weather patterns.

By John Dobberstein posted on May 1, 2013 | Posted in Nutrient Management, Soil Health, Water Management

If you ask Jerry Hatfield, the 2012 drought wasn’t just a blip on the radar screen.

There’s No Competing With Long-Term No-Till

After jumping into no-till practices more than 2 decades ago, Iowa no-tiller Randy Caviness has been rewarded with more fertile soils, earlier planting and a stronger balance sheet to compete with neighbors.

By John Dobberstein posted on May 1, 2013 | Posted in Equipment, Nutrient Management, Soil Health

Even as no-till was growing during the 1980s, Randy Caviness wasn’t completely convinced about the practice. He worried about weed control, and he hadn’t seen many examples of no-tilled crops working very well in his area.

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Farmer Sees 7% No-Till Corn Yield Bump with 20-Inch Rows

On this edition of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by CultivAce, longtime no-tiller Jim Leverich explains why 20-inch corn rows are paying off big time on his Sparta, Wis., farm.

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