No-till corn yields comparable to those achievable with chemical nitrogen fertilizer can be produced with liquid dairy manure as the only nitrogen source — if the manure is incorporated at application, according to studies by two Ohio State University researchers.

With the concentrated dairy industry in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, crops there are often grown on land fertilized with liquid manure that is hauled into the fields in tanker loads. While the manure is valuable for its nutrients and organic matter, the weight of the tankers concerns those who understand the dangers of soil compaction.

Imgaine gaining 20 more bushels of corn per acre or similarly significant jumps in soybean, wheat and other crop yields. It could be possible next year just just by treating the phosphorus applied to your no-till fields with a new compound designed to improve uptake of the nutrient.

Just about every no-tiller I’ve ever met would agree that at some point you start to wonder if you were really smart to move away from the “safety” of conventional systems.

When it comes to learning what it takes to turn out profitable corn yields, many no-tillers find they learn a great deal from having contest plots on their farms.

Are you ready for as high as 100-bushel yields in your no-till soybean fields? Don’t think those figures are so far-fetched, as research being done in Ohio indicates such no-till yields are possible.