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Martha Mintz

Martha Mintz

Since 2011, Martha has authored the highly popular “What I’ve Learned About No-Till” series that has appeared in every issue of No-Till Farmer since August of 2002.


Growing up on a cattle ranch in southeastern Montana, Martha is a talented ag writer and photographer who lives with her family in Billings, Montana.

Articles

ARTICLES

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What I've Learned from No-Tilling

Getting by with Less is Giving this No-Tiller More to Cheer About

Reducing tillage, slashing nitrogen, cutting seed treatments and opting for untraited corn have savings adding up and profits peaking.
By Martha Mintz posted on May 1, 2022 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Equipment, Nutrient Management, Soil Health
I wanted to no-till. I would search out no-till planters online or in classified ads and just wish. But with only 240 acres, I just couldn’t justify the expense — at least not until a supportive friend stepped in.
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What I've Learned from No-Tilling

Transitioning a No-Till Legacy

Slashing fuel, doubling soil organic matter and retiring with pride were rewards for forging on in fringe no-till country.
By Martha Mintz posted on March 30, 2022 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Soil Health
I had hoped to raise 50 crops before I retired, but 48 is pretty darn close. 
The timing just seemed right at the end of 2021 to keep pushing for 50 crops on our Canton, Miss., farm. In 2019 we had reduced acres, letting all our rented ground go and just farming what we owned.
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What I've Learned from No-Tilling

Collaborating with No-Till Pros Takes Farm from Bleak to Booming

Matt and Janna Splitter connected with long-time no-tillers Margaret and Lee Scheufler for guidance. What they got was so much more.
By Martha Mintz posted on February 23, 2022 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Equipment, Nutrient Management, Water Management
It started with one simple question asked to no-tiller Lee Scheufler at a winter meeting: “Why do you plant soybeans with an airseeder on 7½-inch rows?” A farmer icebreaker if there ever was one. 
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Refining Nutrient Needs with Smart, Targeted Testing

The 14th class of Responsible Nutrient Management Practitioners shares insights into how soil and sap testing, monitoring moisture and spoon feeding are leading to big reductions in on-farm fertilizer applications.
By Martha Mintz posted on February 3, 2022 | Posted in Nutrient Management

Recognized for their successful fertilizer application practices, Brooks Garland, of Lee, Fla., Adam Chappell of Cotton Plant, Ark., and Paul Overby of Wolford, N.D., were honored as the 14th class of Responsible Nutrient Management Practitioners at the 2022 National No-Tillage Conference in Louisville, Ky.


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What I've Learned from No-Tilling

Record Yields and High Prices Reward Iowa Family on No-Till Journey

An ongoing journey of continuously reducing tillage hasn’t held back the Hellands, who press forward even when they hit bumps.
By Martha Mintz posted on February 1, 2022 | Posted in Cover Crops, Nutrient Management

Everything went right in 2021. It was the first time in my years of farming that we matched record yields with high prices with the bonus of reduced inputs from no-till and strip-till. I think I’ll quit. 


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3 No-Tillers Recognized for Nutrient Stewardship

The 14th class of Responsible Nutrient Management Practitioners is reaping the rewards from soil and sap testing, thoughtful fertilizer applications and using cover crops.
By Martha Mintz posted on January 13, 2022 | Posted in Cover Crops, Nutrient Management, Soil Health
Recognized for their successful fertilizer application practices, Brooks Garland, of Lee, Fla., Adam Chappell of Cotton Plant, Ark., and Paul Overby of Wolford, N.D. were honored as the 14th class of Responsible Nutrient Management Practitioners at the 2022 National No-Tillage Conference in Louisville, Ky.
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What I've Learned from No-Tilling

Intercropping, Cover Crops Yield More Residue, Fewer Inputs & More Income

On the dry, wind-swept Colorado plains, more residue above and roots below are critical to John Heermann’s no-till system.
By Martha Mintz posted on January 1, 2022 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Residue Management, Nutrient Management, Soil Health, Water Management

SOIL HEALTH DRIVES nearly every farm management decision I make these days. It’s why I use a stripper header, diversify my rotation, use cover crops and am ramping up intercropping. It even determines what gifts I send to my landlords on the holidays (books on soil health)


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What I've Learned from No-Tilling

No-Till, Cover Crops and Cattle Bring Revenue to Offset Tight Margins

Finding ways to extract more income from the same acres carves space for the next generation on this Illinois farm.
By Martha Mintz posted on November 5, 2021 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Equipment, Soil Health

WE MAY DRIVE red equipment, but green is our favorite color by far. A perfectly plowed field has nothing on the brilliant green mat dotted with hairy vetch flowers that dominates our tractor cab view when my cousin, Tim Imhoff, and I seed our crops. 



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Golden Age No-Tillers: Legacy Lessons From Early Adopters

By Martha Mintz posted on October 19, 2021 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Equipment, Crop Protection, Residue Management, Nutrient Management, Soil Health, Water Management
With no-till as a practice having been around for 60 years now, and No-Till Farmer for 50, we wanted to find out if we had readers who have been using the practice consistently for that long. The No-Till History series is made possible by Calmer Corn Heads.
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