Worms, fungal glue, chemicals leaked from plants and the feces of microscopic mites: This unappetizing cornucopia is just a sampling of the teeming world of the soil, where underground communities of tiny organisms are key to farm productivity.
We might think of roots as necessary, but uninteresting, parts of the crop production process. Paul Hallett and his team disagree. They focus on what’s going on in the soil with the plant’s roots. Research in Scotland digs into delicate plant, soil interactions.
Little is known about the organic compounds plants use for nutrient uptake and defense, but farmers can make these chemicals work for them by establishing a diverse no-till system.
No-till practices don’t just save labor, fuel and machinery costs, but benefit the mysterious biological world beneath the soil surface that can have a big impact on plant health and yields.
Combining cover crops with no-till turned Jeff Rasawehr’s fields into a healthy, productive system that’s provided higher yields, less nutrient runoff and a $200-per-acre profit boost.
Understanding soil biology is critical to improving the soil profile for no-tillers. Jill Clapperton, a rhizosphere ecologist and agro-ecosystem consultant from Florence, Mont., promotes an understanding of how soil biology and ecology interact with cropping and soil management systems to facilitate long-term soil quality and productivity.
When you know what lives and works in the soil, Jill Clapperton says it’s much easier to understand how no-till and crop rotation work together to regenerate and maintain healthy, productive soil.
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On this edition of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by CultivAce, No-Till Farmer’s Conservation Ag Operator Fellow, Ray McCormick, showcases how he’s taking conservation ag to the next level in Vincennes, Ind., with ponds, solar panels, duck hunting and more.
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.
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