For over thirty years I managed farms in northwest and northcentral Iowa for absentee farm owners whom I worked closely with to make soil and water conservation an important part of our farm plans. I convinced my farm operators to stop moldboard plowing, move to chisel plows and eventually leave soybean stubble untilled in the fall.

The practice of using a dragline on emerging corn began in 2019, due to the extremely wet weather rearranging the Ayers’ cover crop termination schedule. The termination date varies each year, thanks to several factors, including the custom spraying schedule, the weather and what herbicide program the Ayers are using. They typically use glyphosate and 2,4-D to terminate the cereal rye.

Vibration from chains and sprockets moving through the field at 13-plus seeds per second can take a properly performing meter and cause it to create skips, doubles, and spacing errors. The Planter Maintenance series is brought to you by Precision Planting.

When managers of the Bradford Estates wanted to bring land under direct management, they turned to a farmer with no land. The No-Till Passport series is brought to you by Martin Industries.