This time of year growers are under a lot of pressure to buy seed, as seed salesmen pursue seed commitments through volume pricing and early purchase incentives often before the current year's yield trial results are available.

No-till seeding of forage grasses and legumes can be successful and has become an accepted practice according to John Hobbs, an agriculture and rural development specialist with University of Missouri Extension.

Mark Pettijohn builds failure into his farming operation and expects some stinkers while experimenting with "green" and "unconventional" methods. Sometimes he hits it big, however, and a field busts loose with gorgeous bounty.

Remote sensing will enable scientists to see if winter cover crops are improving water quality in the Chesapeake Bay.

Knowing the differences between annual ryegrass and cereal rye will allow farmers to choose the best applications for each crop, which will improve profitability.

This years devastating drought not only robbed crops of valuable moisture, it reduced plant growth and protective cover for the soil. Conservation officials warn that the drought made our soil resource vulnerable to erosion and any tillage will only make conditions worse.