In collaboration with the Organic Grains Research group, Mary Parr, graduate student in the Soil Science department at NCSU, has been investigating nitrogen (N) fixation and release in a system involving roll-killed winter legume cover crops followed by no-till organic corn.

Farmers who still have crops in their fields are acting quick to access land and complete harvest operations. However, they must do so in a careful manner and be mindful of their conservation credo, according to Illinois State Conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Bill Gradle.

Traditionally, fertilizer phosphorus (P) is band-applied 6 to 7 inches deep in the strips at the time of strip tillage. This placement is thought to be ideal in terms of fertilizer use efficiency, early plant growth, and high yields. However, little research has been conducted to determine the optimum placement of P in strip-till systems.

Since 1969, select farm plots at the University of Illinois have been in continuous no-till. In that time, the measure of organic matter has been boosted three-fold – from about 1 percent to 3.2 percent, without use of cover crops. In the same period, rotating between corn and soybean crops, the stored carbon in that soil has risen from 25,200 lbs per acre to 99,300 lbs.

All farmers are environmentalists and need to be vigilant about caring for their farmland, says Doug Darling of Maybee. Mr. Darling’s family is being honored this week by the Monroe Conservation District with its Friends of Conservation Award.

t might not look like there's much going on in those roadside corn fields, but a Purdue University researcher has shown that corn plants are in a fierce battle with each other for resources.

Applying large amounts of lime can result in fairly rapid and substantial increases in soil pH at shallow soil depths. Although the lime eventually moves deeper into the soil profile, and the pH at the soil surface equilibrates and decreases somewhat, the temporary increase in pH can have consequences for the persistence and activity of herbicides applied this spring.

Long-term no-tillers, those who have employed the process for more than five years, have learned that they can get by with significantly less nitrogen.

The wheat stem sawfly continued to spread eastward in 2009, giving producers another headache, says Jan Knodel, North Dakota State University entomologist. No-Till and swathing could help provide control against this damaging pest.

variety selection is about much more than just yield. Growers also need to evaluate the various combinations of maturities, defensive traits and herbicide traits that are important to them. Even with all that, there is still a high priority on yield potential and it’s easy to see why.