A series of dry springs and a problem with potential carryover of a soybean herbicide back in the 1980s were the two primary incentives that drove us to try no-till.
Facing higher input costs, more farmers than ever are taking a closer look at no-till. While there may be numerous opportunities for you to no-till more acres in your area while adding dollars to your checkbook, there’s no easy answer as to what you should charge for no-tilling, spraying or other work done in a neighbor’s fields.
While driving along Interstate 39 from Bloomington to Rockford, Ill., last fall, John Pickle Jr. conducted a windshield survey based on looking at the four outside rows in corn fields that were running parallel to the highway. His quick and easy visual survey indicated that 60 percent of the corn fields had rodent damage.
Some might consider Dan Peyton a “weekender” farmer, as he divides his time between no-tilling 300 acres of corn and soybeans and a full-time job at a nearby printing firm in Long Prairie, Minn.
Contrary to what you may think, most contestants don’t go overboard with inputs in their contest fields and find that competing helps them find new ways to push up no-till yields across the entire farm.
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.
Does anyone replace only one side on a John Deere planter to get the lead cutting effect such as with a Case IH planter, or does everyone replace both as they wear down?
With 900 acres of corn near Beaver Dam, Wis., Charlie Hammer uses 20-inch rows. He plants 36,000 to 38,000 seeds per acre and finds the narrower rows add 6 to 8 inches to plant height.
No-tillers in the Corn Belt have different opinions about different practices. But one thing no one will disagree about is no-till corn, and how much more effort this crop takes to produce when compared to no-tilling soybeans.
No-tillers in the Corn Belt have different opinions about different practices. But one thing no one will disagree about is no-till corn, and how much more effort this crop takes to produce when compared to no-tilling soybeans.
Yield responses from ultra-narrow-row corn are no great miracle, says Bob Nielsen. The Purdue researcher, who was already conducting narrow-row corn studies in the 1980s, says these responses are a simple matter of crop canopy management.
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On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Martin-Till, Brian and Darren Hefty, fourth-generation farmers and hosts of Ag PhD, share tips for treating tar spot in corn.
Needham Ag understands the role of technology in making better use of limited resources within a specific environment by drawing on a wealth of global experience to overcome the challenges facing today's farmers, manufacturers and dealers.
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