Co-sponsored by No-Till Farmer and Wall Street Access, the event’s goal was to help Wall Street fund managers better understand the food production cycle and this year’s challenging fertilizer markets.

Hopefully, your crop is off to a great start! Now is a good time to assess crop stands and learn from your planting-season management to see if there are things you should do differently.

Q: How many earthworms do you need in no-tilled fields? A: To gain the benefits of a good earthworm population with no-till, you need 8 to 10 worms per square foot of soil 6 to 8 inches deep.

While Francis Childs certainly doesn’t no-till, the Manchester, Iowa, farmer uses a number of ideas some ideas that you could use in your own no-tilling operation. Using a mini moldboard plow that works the soil up to 14 inches deep yet still leaves up to 40 percent soil cover from his extremely heavy continuous corn plant residue, he harvested an amazing 442.1 bushels of corn per acre last fall. For the sixth straight year, he took top honors in the 2002 National Corn Growers Association National Corn Yield Contest.

If you have any last-minute no-tilling questions, or want to offer any ideas for fellow farmers prior to the 2003 planting season, the time to act is now. The No-Till Farmer Farmer’s Forum message board is available for you to use 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Plenty of no-tillers just like yourself find knowledgeable answers to tough questions every day.