As an agronomist turned custom strip-tiller, Donnellson, Iowa, farmer Mark Dobson is on the road quite a bit and visits a lot of farms in different regions. The biggest takeaway from his 2024 travels as harvest season reaches a crescendo?

Marion Calmer goes through his 40-year journey of replicated studies on nitrogen rates, row spacings, populations, tillage vs. no-till vs strip-till, residue management and most recently the long-term effects of surface-applied phosphorus and potassium.

Move residue, debris and any vegetation from the soil surface at the sample site. Failing to do so may cause an incorrect (too high) organic matter measurement.

Fall-seeded cereal rye can be established successfully following the application of most herbicides used in corn production, but success is influenced by herbicide rate and environmental conditions that follow the herbicide application.

Technology editor Noah Newman catches up with Dave Sender from Environmental Tillage Systems (ETS) for a conversation about the versatility of the company’s SoilWarrior and how it can be used for seeding cover crops and soybeans. Sender also offers some pre-harvest advice for strip-tillers before they start making strips this fall.