PETE GOTTFRIED ROLLS his office chair over to the horizontal file. He instantly pulls out a snapshot of a field that resembles a parking lot. Heavy rains can cause the sticky, tight soils, high in magnesium, to crust and compact, explains the Nevada, Ohio, no-tiller.
LIKE MANY NO-TILLERS, especially in our area of Ohio, we were frustrated with our early experiences. Way back in 1977, after our local dealer demonstrated the 5100 White no-till planter to my dad, one-pass farming looked really appealing.
While tradition, low crop prices and resistance from landlords have slowed the growth of no-till adoption, there is clearly a need to continue spreading the word.
An unexpected Phillips rotary harrow was a good fit this year for Foundation Feeders, located near Spring Grove, Minn. Jim Holty, a partner with his brother Ron in the custom heifer raising service, won a year’s use of the harrow at the 2004 National No-Tillage Conference in Des Moines. Jim manages the agronomy side of the business while Ron concentrates on the livestock operation.
How will your planter perform in no till? Today’s stronger, heavier equipment is designed to cut and handle residue, penetrate soil to your desired seeding depth, get proper seed-to-soil contact and close the seed-vee.
John Deere says recent improvements to their planter lineup will let you seed a wide variety of crops more accurately and faster, which is especially important as no-till acres continue to increase.
New no-tillers can count on making fewer trips across the field and spending less for less labor and fuel, but you’ll be devoting more time to management.
In the Mid-1980s, we switched from moldboard plowing to a conservation farming system of chisel plowing, discing and planting. It was the recommended soil saving system of the time, but we seemed to be stuck in place.
When the Christensen family moved to a new farming location in southwestern Wisconsin 5 years ago, they took a hard look at the many benefits of no-tilling.
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On this edition of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by CultivAce, No-Till Farmer’s Conservation Ag Operator Fellow, Ray McCormick, showcases how he’s taking conservation ag to the next level in Vincennes, Ind., with ponds, solar panels, duck hunting and more.
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.