When people ask why I was the first farmer in our area of southeastern Iowa to start no-tilling 28 years ago, I answer that it was bred into me to control soil erosion any way I can — including extensive use of terraces and grass waterways. I couldn’t bear to see all that soil running into streams and rivers. I knew I had to do something to keep that from happening.
Most no-tillers can recall a time (or incident) when the “light went on” — when no-till became an obvious option. For me, that happened in 1986 during a dry spring.
Taking full advantage of a mid-June opportunity to educate New York City investment fund managers on American agriculture, three outstanding growers made an extremely strong case for the many benefits of no-tilling.
To establish consistent seed germination, New Zealand’s John Baker learned that protecting soil humidity when planting was a critical need with no-till opener designs.
Some 41 years ago, when a few colleagues and I began what would become a three-decade scientific effort at New Zealand’s Massey University, we did not set out to invent a new no-tillage system.
Seed treatments pay off in corn and soybeans. Ed Winkle says he treats his own seed with Apron and inoculants. Non-GMO beans can be bin run so long as you are not infringing upon patents.
Once he realized that subsoiling was unnecessary, Italian no-tiller Mauro Collovati created a wide-sweep-designed opener that performs well on his wide range of soil types.
A new No-Till network, known as the Conservation Agriculture Systems Alliance (CASA), has been formed to help local and regional organizations drive adoption of no-till systems and represent North American interests in international conservation agriculture talks.
From continuous corn residue challenges to rent negotiations to cover crops and fertilizer management, 766 attendees found plenty of knowledgable tips to improve their no-till systems.
Their optimism as warm as the record-high temperatures that welcomed them in Cincinnati, no-tillers making up one of the largest crowds in the 16-year history of the National No-Tillage Conference eagerly absorbed information from top-notch presenters, as well as each other.
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On this edition of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by CultivAce, Gregg Sanford, Wisconsin Integrated Cropping Systems Trial manager, reveals how no-till is stacking up to other major systems in year 34 of the trial.
Needham Ag understands the role of technology in making better use of limited resources within a specific environment by drawing on a wealth of global experience to overcome the challenges facing today's farmers, manufacturers and dealers.
The Andersons grows enduring relationships through extraordinary service, a deep knowledge of the market, and a knack for finding new ways to add value as we have done for nearly 70 years.