Due to the late corn harvest, many fields have yet to be tilled, and they have large amounts of residue remaining on the surface. This could impact spring nutrient management.

Ray Archuleta, who works for the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service, is passionate about no-till and he reminded producers that what makes a successful no-till system is in the things you don’t necessarily see on the ground.

Scientists from the John Innes Centre and the University of Oxford have discovered which genes control the specialized nutrient mining machine that develops on the surface of plant roots.

Moldy corn grain is not only harmful to livestock, but it can be unhealthy for farmers as well. As a result, farmers should take extra safety precautions as they manage their stored corn this winter.

Simultaneous strip-till, fertilizer application and planting is the right springtime combination for Fayette County corn and soybean producer Collin Jensen, who saves fuel, reduces soil erosion, improves soil quality and lessens compaction by farming this way.

John Riley and Chris Holovach live hundreds of miles apart and farm under quite different environments. But both agree that producing sunflower under a strip-till system appears to have a definite place in their farming operation.

Because of the high cost of intensive tillage along with frequent stand loss due to blowing soil, interest in some type of strip-till for sugarbeet has been strong for many years.

Winter finally seems to be coming to an end, so it's time to start topdressing nitrogen (N) on the winter wheat crop. With good soil moisture in many areas of the state, and some fairly small wheat in many fields due to late planting, there are some key elements that need to be considered when deciding on the exact program you plan to use. These include: timing, N source, application method and N rate.

A few key steps can help maximize soybean yields — and profits. Selecting soybean varieties that match the needs of individual fields, using seed treatments and determining when to put the seed in the ground are decisions that directly impact yields.

There is a method called “frost seeding� where you apply seed to the ground and the freezing and thawing of the soil in February and early March will provide seed to soil contact allowing germination of the seed.