The late University of Kentucky agronomist Shirley Phillips is known worldwide as one of the fathers of no-till agriculture. To honor him for his impact on Brazilian agriculture, a delegation from the Brazilian Federation of No-Tillage presented the UK College of Agriculture with a bronze bust of Phillips.

Multiple freeze-thaw cycles, plus numerous wetting and drying cycles brought on by the arrival of enough snow and rain have made no-till an even more viable and attractive option for corn and soybean growers than it was last spring.

A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist and his colleague at Cornell University have developed a new tool for studying how roots take shape in the soil.

Dry conditions and lack of soil moisture availability, especially during planting time this spring, can create water stress resulting in delayed germination, a reduction in plant stands or may prevent seed germination.

With help from a wind tunnel and the latest DNA technology, USDA ARS scientists are shedding light on the travel patterns of soilborne hitchhikers.

Concerns about long-term shifts in climate patterns have led scientists to measure soil organic carbon (SOC) in agricultural landscapes and to develop methods to evaluate how changes in tillage practices affect atmospheric carbon sequestration.