What are the implications of the 2012 drought for nutrient management in 2013?

One benefit of planting cover crops after corn silage, small grain, or a processing vegetable crop, or after a manure application is that the cover crop can take up residual nitrate and reduce the risk of nitrate leaching between harvest and planting.

Through the past 50 years of farming, Webster City, Iowa, farmer Arlo Van Diest has tried many different pieces of equipment and many different practices. His goal is to leave the land better for future generations.

Wet soils cause nitrogen losses, and determining how much nitrogen is lost is necessary to choose the proper management options.

A recent study shows that the most heavily tile-drained areas of North America are also the largest contributing source of nitrate to the Gulf of Mexico, leading to seasonal hypoxia.

Drainage water management techniques are proving to reduce nitrate releases into ditches and streams –- and now researchers and regulators are teaming up to see if the water-quality benefits can be quantified so no-till farmers can earn money by managing their tile drainage water.

Like many no-tillers, Mike Starkey got his start with soybeans. But after struggling to make no-till corn work, he practiced rotational tillage for more than a decade.