Due to the previous wet autumn of 2019, the farm had planted over-yeared seed in conditions that were unsuitable for cultivating. It was a backwards step and 2020 ended up being worse than 2019. So Brixworth Farming made the decision to do more cultivations where it was needed, to keep the ability to direct-drill. The No-Till Passport series is brought to you by Martin Industries.
We organic farmers do a bit of cultivation to mineralize some of the goodness we have built up in our leys and to deal with some weeds. This year all of my spring sown crops were established after a green manure, grazed by sheep over the winter and then with three light and shallow passes with a cultivator we managed to get our crops in with much less soil disturbance than usual. You’d be proud of me. The No-Till Passport series is brought to you by Martin Industries.
Kansas no-tiller John Stigge believes cover crops can deliver in year one if growers utilize the ‘power of 3’ that includes legumes, brassicas and grasses.
No-Till Farmer readers appear firmly committed to using cover crops. The percentage of no-tillers using cover crops grew to 83% in 2017 — a 6-point jump over the prior year, an all-time high in the decade-old no-till benchmark study and the 6th consecutive year of growth.
While less than 2% of America’s cropland is seeded to cover crops, a remarkable 77% of no-tillers enjoy the many benefits offered by protecting the soil over the winter months.
Younger members of the Peterson family that runs Peterson Farm Bros. near Assaria, Kan., shares their love for no-till residue and soil health in this parody of Ed Sheeran’s hit song “Shape of You.” The family raises 1,400 acres of corn, alfalfa and forage sorghum as food for beef cattle and wheat, milo and soybeans for cash crops.
Farmers considering cover crop seeding and establishment this fall should remember that some herbicides can persist and potentially influence successful cover crop establishment, says Penn State University Extension.
When done correctly, the PSNT is an excellent tool to determine available nitrate-N from organic matter mineralization, says Michigan State University Extension.
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Franck Groeneweg, who no-tills a variety of crops on more than 12,000 acres near Three Forks, Mont., shares how his massive Johnson-Su bioreactor system allows him to apply compost extract in furrow during planting season.
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