Main has been the only state in the U.S. that doesn’t permit the planting of Bt corn, but that might be about to change. The state’s Board of Pesticide Control licensed the genetically engineered corn this past summer and recently held a public hearing on proposed rules regulating its use in the state. Bt corn could be used for the first time in Maine as soon as 2008.

Corn cobs and fiber, along with stover, are likely to remain the main focus for cellulosic ethanol research and deployment in the Midwest over the next few years, according to the National Corn Growers Association. Cellulosic ethanol is made from the woody parts of plants, rather than the more easily refined grain. Cellulosic studies are now moving from basic research to applications, the NCGA notes.

Shots are being fired in what could conceivably grow into a battle between no-tillers and organic farmers for federal funding and consumer food dollars. Both sides are claiming the high ground for their path to sustainable, profitable farming, and no-tillers aren’t backing down as organic farming advocates gain a foothold with the general population and even an occasional researcher.

Researchers from 13 USDA Agricultural Research Service locations, state universities and the U.S. Department of Energy are finishing the second season of field studies in a 5-year project to determine where, when and how much stover can be harvested for ethanol use without harming the soil.

No-tillers are keenly aware of the benefits that cover crops can provide to their soil, yet a recent survey funded by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture indicates that cover crop usage lags.

A common question often asked about no-till is whether any nutrient stratification occurs due to a lack of soil mixing. Many no-tillers wonder if stratification is a problem for effective crop access to soil nutrients.

The ethanol boom that has already increased corn prices could possibly help no-tillers even more in the future by reducing their need for herbicides.

Over the past few years, numerous benefits have been demonstrated for seeding annual ryegrass as a cover crop in a no-till system. However, another exciting benefit may be the use of this cover crop as an alternative method for controlling soybean cyst nematodes (SCN), which can cost a no-tiller as much as 15 bushels per acre in lost soybean yields.

When it comes to sharing cropping knowledge, few people have had more impact on expanding the no-till acreage than the latest crop of No-Till Innovator award winners.