The winning entry from an Oregon college student in the Phoenix Rotary Equipment Ltd. conservation tillage essay contest explains how no-till can lead to healthier soils around the world.
As I sit here at my desk, I find myself not in the countryside of eastern Oregon where my family raises dryland wheat and barley, but rather in the vast city of Quito, Ecuador.
Art Schultheis relies on no-till to get the best possible return from his 1,100 acre operation, which receives an average annual rainfall of only 18 to 20 inches.
Researchers and grower find that residue retains the available moisture, while skip-row planting allows the roots to reach the water later in the season when it’s needed.
Check out these No-Till Farmer message board opinions about the connection between water problems and calcium levels. More drainage tips and ideas are available at www.no-tillfarmer.com.
Equipment choices might be the most common subject among no-tillers. Or maybe it’s the weather. Or maybe how the weather changes soil conditions, and thus equipment choices. Whatever, it’s all covered in these excerpts from recent postings at Farmer’s Forum, the online bulletin board at www.no-tillfarmer.com.
The harvesting of corn residue, referred to as stover, as ethanol fodder will focus on “flat soils with high yields in wet areas. That’s where to start,” according to Jim Hettenhaus, a chemical engineer who works on ethanol-related issues with the U.S. Department of Energy and private companies.
With a one-pass operation that places seed and fertilizer into an otherwise undisturbed seedbed and packs the furrow, no-till systems shine when it comes to both better yields and disease control, says Andy Lenssen, a Montana State University entomologist.
While no-tilling with cover crops requires more management than straight no-till, the extra effort may be worth it, especially in dry years, maintains Mike Plumer.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, many farmers in south-central Nebraska began drilling irrigation wells as they began flood irrigating row crops in furrows.
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On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Martin-Till, Smithville, Ga., strip-tiller and cover cropper Alex Harrell shares the main takeaway from his record-breaking 218-bushel soybean yield.
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.
The Andersons grows enduring relationships through extraordinary service, a deep knowledge of the market, and a knack for finding new ways to add value as we have done for nearly 70 years.