Home / Authors / John Dobberstein

Articles by John Dobberstein

Melvin Steck 10.2 homepage

‘Boutique’ Farm Yields Big-Time No-Till Savings and Success

97-year-old Melvin Steck has flirted with 300-bushel corn and hit 70-bushel soybeans with homemade equipment, common sense and a long-term commitment to no-till.
By John Dobberstein posted on September 14, 2018 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Equipment
These days, Melvin Steck doesn’t go to many farm shows, field days or plot tours and isn’t the type to sell his program or philosophies to others. But this 97-year-old no-tiller will talk plenty about how the soil works.
Read More

[Podcast] It’s All About Carbon: Building a Thriving Soil Biological Community

In this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Calmer Corn Heads, we're discussing healthy soils and diverse organisms with Dennis Chessman, the team leader for the NRCS Soil Health Division in Lexington, Ky.
By John Dobberstein posted on September 13, 2018 | Posted in Cover Crops, Soil Health
In this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Calmer Corn Heads, we're discussing healthy soils and diverse organisms with Dennis Chessman, the team leader for the NRCS Soil Health Division in Lexington, Ky.
Read More

[Podcast] Nuts and Bolts of No-Till Crop Nutrition Part 2

In this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Calmer Corn Heads, we continue our discussion with John Grove, director of the University of Kentucky Research and Education Center, shifting focus to nutrient management after crops have emerged.
By John Dobberstein posted on August 21, 2018 | Posted in Cover Crops, Soil Health
In this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Calmer Corn Heads, we continue our discussion with John Grove, director of the University of Kentucky Research and Education Center, shifting focus to nutrient management after crops have emerged.
Read More

Heeding Soil and Leaf Sap Tests Could Boost No-Till Soybean Yields

A comparison of No-Till Farmer survey results and soil test data from five states show a need for no-tillers to address micronutrient deficiencies to improve soybean production.
By John Dobberstein posted on August 18, 2018 | Posted in Nutrient Management, Soil Health
No-Tillers could be leaving as much as $24 per acre on the table by not addressing key soil nutrient deficiencies in soybeans, says an Illinois certified crop adviser.
Read More
Wilson_FeatureImage.jpg

No-Tillers Stay Flexible to Get the Most from Cereal Rye

A new cover crop seeding rig, an ATV sprayer and a lot of patience helped this Ohio family improve tough soils and stabilize yields with no-till and cereal rye.
By John Dobberstein posted on August 14, 2018 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Equipment
When Nathan Wilson first considered no-tilling corn and soybeans he was worried it might not work well. He had seen some poor stands and weed control problems on other farms and field days. But it turned out Nathan just needed to set foot on the right farm to see the possibilities.
Read More

[Podcast] Nuts and Bolts of No-Till Crop Nutrition Part 1

In this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Calmer Corn Heads, we welcome John Grove, director of the University of Kentucky Research and Education Center, to discuss the unique characteristics of no-till soil environments when compared to soils on conventionally tilled farms and how those can affect the availability of nutrients to plants.
By John Dobberstein posted on August 9, 2018 | Posted in Cover Crops, Soil Health
In this episode of the No-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Calmer Corn Heads, we welcome John Grove, director of the University of Kentucky Research and Education Center, to discuss the unique characteristics of no-till soil environments when compared to soils on conventionally tilled farms and how those can affect the availability of nutrients to plants.
Read More
DSC_0493.jpg

Feeding Off No-Till, Cover Crop Profitability

Tiffany Cattle Co. separates itself from the herd with a focus on grazing cover crops to improve soil health economically.
By John Dobberstein posted on July 28, 2018 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Soil Health
When Shawn and Shane Tiffany took over the former Black Diamond feed yard in 2007 it wasn’t in terrible shape, mostly because of manure applications that kept organic matter in the soil. But after going to a cover crop field day 8 years ago, the brothers didn’t want to just settle.
Read More
Winter canola may be a good alternative crop for no-tillers

3 Alternative No-Tilled Crops to Boost Your Bottom Line

Grain sorghum and winter canola have growing markets, and no-tilled vegetables can help growers tap into the farm-to-table movement.
By John Dobberstein posted on July 28, 2018 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Soil Health
When corn and soybean stockpiles grow and prices stagnate, no-tillers may want to decide whether it’s time to diversify their crops to explore new markets and work toward being a market maker instead of a market taker.
Read More

Top Articles

Current Issue

Cover_NTF-December-2024.jpg

No-Till Farmer

Get full access NOW to the most comprehensive, powerful and easy-to-use online resource for no-tillage practices. Just one good idea will pay for your subscription hundreds of times over.

Subscribe Now

View More

Must Read Free Eguides

Download these helpful knowledge building tools

View More

Videos

View More
Top Directory Listings
Needham Ag Technologies logo

Needham Ag Technologies, LLC

Needham Ag understands the role of technology in making better use of limited resources within a specific environment by drawing on a wealth of global experience to overcome the challenges facing today's farmers, manufacturers and dealers.
Titan Goodyear

Titan International, Inc

Titan offers a full line of wheels, tires and undercarriage products for a wide variety of off-the-road equipment.
Andersons

The Andersons PureGrade

The Andersons grows enduring relationships through extraordinary service, a deep knowledge of the market, and a knack for finding new ways to add value as we have done for nearly 70 years.
View More