In this episode of the No-Till Farmer Influencers & Innovators podcast, brought to you by Martin Industries, Frank Lessiter is joined by Amy Bartow with the NRCS, manager of the Plant Materials Center in Corvallis, Oregon to discuss the NRCS’ recent initiatives to promote the establishment of pollinator plots and strips.

USDA has reported some 91% of corn crops silking, in line with the 91% reported silking in the same week last year. The 5-year average for corn silking in the week was 86%.

In case you missed them, here are the items that have garnered the most interest from farmers in the past month.

While agricultural production around the world struggles with declining soil health, Australian researchers are investigating production of a sustainable organic nitrogen fertilizer made from aquatic cyanobacterial biomass — ideally suited for badly degraded areas reliant on chemical fertilizers, says Flinders University.

For this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by The Andersons, we chat with independent crop consultant Jeremiah Durbin about the physical, chemical and biological aspects of soil health and how he uses his mechanical background to help trouble-shoot issues in the field.

No-Till Farmer and AgroLiquid are currently seeking nominations of no-tillers and strip-tillers for the 14th class of Responsible Nutrient Management Practitioners. Three growers will be awarded and recognized during the 30th annual National No-Tillage Conference in Louisville, Ky., Jan. 4-7, 2022.