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Laura Barrera

Laura Barrera

Laura Barrera is the former managing editor of No-Till Farmer and Conservation Tillage Guide magazines. Prior to joining No-Till Farmer, she served as an assistant editor for a greenhouse publication. Barrera holds a B.A. in magazine journalism from Ball State University.

Articles

ARTICLES

Laura Barrera
From the Desk of Laura Barrera

Tackle Herbicide-Resistant Weeds with Cereal Rye

Preliminary results from a Penn State study confirm just how effective cover crops, especially cereal rye, can be on tough no-till weeds.
By Laura Barrera posted on September 20, 2016 | Posted in Crop Protection
Preliminary results from a Penn State study confirm just how effective cover crops, especially cereal rye, can be on tough no-till weeds.
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Four Takeaways from the 2016 National Strip-Tillage Conference

The third annual event held in Bloomington-Normal, Ill., featured practical tips on cover cropping, increasing soil biology and improving nutrient management.
By Laura Barrera and Jack Zemlicka posted on September 17, 2016 | Posted in Cover Crops, Nutrient Management, Strip-Till Farming
HELD IN ILLINOIS for the first time, the 2016 National Strip-Tillage Conference gathered a diverse group of strip-till farmers, researchers and industry experts from more than 20 states and abroad.
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Shoot for Higher Organic Matter by Relying on Residue

While increasing organic matter is a multi-year process, no-tillers can boost it even faster by ensuring there’s enough plant material to replenish what’s already in the soil and adding more residue.
By Laura Barrera posted on September 17, 2016 | Posted in Residue Management, Soil Health
Despite making up only a small percentage of the soil — no more than 10%, according to the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension — organic matter plays a critical role in the soil’s health and the crops raised on it.
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Conservation Keeping Growers Competitive on Heavy, Wet Soils

The Baileys are seeing yields comparable to their conventional tillage neighbors with no-till while protecting soil and saving on additional equipment expenses.
By Laura Barrera posted on August 20, 2016 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Equipment

GROWING UP on the family farm in Louisville, Ill., Randy Bailey thought the way to farm was to hire labor, have a lot of tractors, discs and rollers and work the land.

But in the 1980s, just after he graduated high school and took over the farm, the Farm Crisis hit and the equity on his land flipped upside down. After hearing retired University of Illinois agronomist Mike Plumer speak at a Farm Bureau meeting about no-till, he decided to give it a try.


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