Articles by John Dobberstein

field 3

8 Keys to Help No-Tillers Manage Annual Ryegrass

No-tillers just starting to use annual ryegrass should follow a few simple rules to take advantage of this cover crop’s compaction-busting, nitrogen-scavenging benefits.
With its prolific root system and economical price tag, annual ryegrass is one of the most popular cover crops no-tillers have at their disposal. It’s also gotten a bad rap for being tough to manage, says Dan Towery.
Read More
Butterfly-copy.jpg

Manage ‘Good’ Insects Like Your Farm Depends On It

No-till practices and diverse cover-crop mixes are like a beacon to beneficial insect communities that pollinate crops, munch on weed seeds and kill yield-robbing crop pests — all to your benefit.
For every yield-robbing pest no-tillers know of in a field, there are 1,700 insect species that are beneficial or neutral to their farm.
Read More
From the Desk of John Dobberstein

No-Till Could Ease World’s Water Concerns

If a recent study is any indication, getting more crop production from every inch of water is going to become even more important in the near future.The Institution of Chemical Engineers recently released a report describing the amount of hidden water used in food and drink production, estimated at up to 1.8 million liters per person each year — equivalent an Olympic-size swimming pool.
Read More
DSC0156.jpg

How To Benchmark Crop Macro and Micronutrient Status

The effectiveness of soil and tissue tests depends on the crop, field conditions and the nutrient in question, and no-tillers should back up the results with scouting and on-farm strip trials.
Peter Kyveryga says he's been hearing more and more discussions among farmers about nutrient deficiencies in corn and soybeans during the growing season.
Read More

A Matter Of Perspective

As I've pointed out previously, there's a lot of conflicting research when it comes to the effects of cover crops in farm regions where annual moisture is limited, especially around the issue of water use by covers.
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
Top Directory Listings