Articles by John Dobberstein

Dryland Cover Crop Study Paints Mixed Picture, But Hope for Future

By John Dobberstein posted on August 8, 2019 | Posted in Cover Crops, Water Management

A technical bulletin released detailing the feasibility of cover crops in southwest Colorado and southeast Utah painted a mix picture, but still drew some favorable conclusions for the future of covers in semi-arid climates.

No-Tilling, Cereal Rye Handles Saturated Soils, Improves Stands

No-tilling and planting green into living covers is the right formula to help Frank Martin improve the tilth of his shallow, claypan soils and get better planting results.

By John Dobberstein posted on August 4, 2019 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Water Management

Frank Martin likes to keep things simple. He uses older combines with no yield monitors and he isn’t into using a lot of precision mapping on his 800-acre farm.

Load Up the Toolbox to Fight Weeds More Effectively

By John Dobberstein posted on July 11, 2019 | Posted in Crop Protection

I’ve heard some stories in recent years — both passionate and very sad, unfortunately — of no-tillers having to pull out a tillage implement to deal with weed problems that got away from them.

Census of Agriculture

No-Till, Cover Crop Acres Continue Upward Trend

Growers are moving away from intensive tillage in favor of no-till, min-till and cover crops, the Census of Ag Shows

By John Dobberstein posted on July 10, 2019 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops

While the growth of no-till remains fairly steady across the U.S., a substantial movement away from intensive tillage is occurring among farmers, according to data from the 2017 Census of Agriculture analyzed by No-Till Farmer.

'Why Will it Matter You Farmed the Land?'

By John Dobberstein posted on June 27, 2019 | Posted in Soil Health

No-tiller and Practical Farmers of Iowa board member Nathan Anderson was once asked this question. Read on to see his answer, and find out more about soil health payoffs spotlighted at a Capitol Hill hearing this week.

USDA Exploring MFP Payments for Cover Crop Forages on Prevent-Plant Acres

By John Dobberstein posted on June 11, 2019 | Posted in Seeding & Planting

In light of widespread prevented planting, USDA is mulling Market Facilitation Program (MFP) payments for struggling producers who plant an MFP-eligible cover crop that has the potential to be harvested and used as forage, says Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.

Small Start, Big Success with No-Tilling

A minor victory in a small field grew to major success farmwide for Bob Kissel, as no-till practices have reduced erosion and improved soil tilth and nutrient cycling on his central Indiana operation.

By John Dobberstein posted on May 30, 2019 | Posted in Nutrient Management, Soil Health, Water Management

Bob Kissel remembers the moment he decided to start no-tilling his crops: it was 30 years ago as he was custom harvesting a 20-acre field intensively farmed with soybeans and worked with plows every year.

From the Desk of John Dobberstein

30 Years to Save Our World’s Soils — a Scary Thought

By John Dobberstein posted on May 23, 2019 | Posted in Soil Health, Water Management

Some 500 scientists, academic experts, farmers and government officials from more than 100 countries convened the Global Symposium on Soil Erosion last week. Find out what they said and what really needs to happen to feed the world.

From the Desk of John Dobberstein

D.C. Compromises Not Helping the Soil Health Movement

By John Dobberstein posted on May 9, 2019 | Posted in Cover Crops, Soil Health

While some important progress was made in the recent Farm Bill regarding soil health and cover crop management, a recent article detailed an important omission that will still impact many farmers’ wallets.

Great Plains No-Tillers Embracing Cover Crops, But More Newcomers Needed

By John Dobberstein posted on April 25, 2019 | Posted in Cover Crops, Soil Health

Census of Agriculture data has been released for 2017. How did the Great Plains do with cover crop acreage and adoption? Read here to find out.

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Sustainable Agriculture Summit Shines Light on No-Till, Strip Till & Cover Crops

During the Sustainable Agriculture Summit in Minneapolis, Minn., Carrie Vollmer-Sanders, the president of Field to Market who also farms in Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio, shared why it is important for no-tillers and strip-tillers to share their knowledge with other farmers.

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