When we decided that we wanted to no-till corn back in 1994, we knew we would face a tough challenge from our cold, wet spring soils. So, my brother Steve and I (with the support of our Dad, Dave) decided to try fall strip-tilling.
We started no-tilling in the mid-1980s with the wrong attitude, the wrong tools and not enough knowledge to make it work. It fell flat on its face. Yet, here we are in 2006, confidently no-tilling 1,300 acres.
Along with 92 hours of non-stop no-till learning, this annual mid-winter event includes plenty of other benefits, such as evaluating the best in used equipment.
Based on the keen interest shown in the “For Sale” and “Wanted” boards at the National No-Tillage Conference, more than a few no-tillers are still looking for equipment before the spring seeding season rolls around.
For more timely no-tilling, John Deere in late August introduced the 1990 CCS no-till air drill as a replacement for the 1890 model. For big-acreage growers, these new no-till drills offer many options for designing a high-capacity seeding rig to fit your operation.
A John Deere Enthusiast, Allen Verell wasn’t sure what to expect from the United Farms Tools (UFT) 5300 no-till drill that he won use of for a year at the 1998 National No-Tillage Conference.
Here are my thoughts on recently asked questions by No-Till Farmer readers. Remember that your particular farming circumstances may result in entirely different answers to these particular concerns.
Compaction can be a real killer. That’s why John and Alan Merchant of Cass City, Mich., are extremely sensitive to this critical no-till concern. Heavy equipment puts a pounding on poorly drained clay soils north of Detroit.
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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.
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.
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.