Although farm equipment manufacturers have engineers specifically charged to design and build no-till planters that efficiently place seed in the ground at the optimum depth, in a variety of field conditions, it’s difficult to find a no-tiller running a truly “bone stock” OEM planter.
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.
Some no-tillers and strip-tillers say vertical-tillage tools are helping them size and incorporate residue, prepare seedbeds, reduce weed pressure and improve planting conditions without trashing no-till.
Since vertical-tillage implements debuted, they’ve been a bit controversial with no-tillers, with some feeling the tools violate the basic principles of no-tilling by disturbing the soil.
Onfarm research, equipment setups and deep placement of fertilizer are among the tools that helped three no-tillers improve their nutrient management and profitability on their farms, and also win admiration from their peers.
Without a doubt, one of the biggest concerns among no-tillers is seed placement. With the many attachments and tools available to move residue, drop seed in the row or close the seed slot, all are designed to put seed in the best possible position to emerge with the potential to be a high-yielding machine.
After sitting in on a no-till air seeder roundtable session during the 1998 National No-Tillage Conference, Donn Branton was primed for action. What he’d heard convinced him to consider a new way to achieve the precision planting necessary for attaining 100 bushel per acre yields of soft red winter wheat.
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In this video, Precision Planting’s Clay Scott checks in with planter maintenance recommendations for John Deere, Case IH, Kinze and White disc openers. The 2025 National No-Tillage Conference takes place Jan. 7-10 in downtown Louisville, Ky. Reserve your spot at NoTillConference.com.
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