No-Till Farmer

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November 2019: Conservation Tillage Guide

Volume: 48

Edition: 11

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Table of Contents
Table of Contents

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With Last Spring’s Extremely Late Planting Season, No-Tilling Corn in 20-Inch Rows Could Have Helped Overcome Yield Worries

October 18, 2019

Back in 2009, No-Till Farmer editors produced an article in which Fred Below listed the “7 Corn Growing Wonders of the World.”
Read More

Lessons from the Field: How Growers Profit from Regenerative Soils

Increasing plant diversity, adding livestock and following a simple soil-testing program can significantly add to the bottom line, growers say.

By Angela Lovell posted on October 12, 2019 | Posted in Cover Crops, Soil Health, Water Management

In the not-so-distant future, the key to building a resilient and profitable farm operation may require farmers to see their system as a pyramid that that uses biological tools to build and manage healthy, productive soils and produce nutrient dense food.
Read More

What I've Learned from No-Tilling

Planter Building Proves A Useful Skillset for Pennsylvania No-Tiller

Horse or tractor-farmed fields alike benefit from no-till and a strategically built and well-maintained planter.

By Gideon Stoltzfus and Martha Mintz posted on October 10, 2019 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Equipment

I think readers will find our experiences with no-till to be equally foreign and familiar. Foreign in the fact that on our family farm, the horsepower that runs our field operations comes from actual draft horses. Familiar in that we've gained many benefits from making the move to no-till.
Read More

No-Till Innovations from the 2019 Summer Farm Shows

From planters to harvesters and everything in between, the No-Till Farmer staff found a lot of interesting new products for producers at the summer farm shows.

September 30, 2019 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Equipment, Nutrient Management, Precision Agriculture

The summer farm shows offer a great way to see the latest innovations in ag equipment. Between the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Il., and Husker Harvest Days in Grand Island, Neb., No-Till Farmer staffers found a wide array of offerings to help improve operations.
Read More

When No-Till Alone Isn’t Enough to Prevent Costly Erosion

Operating one of the oldest family farms in North America, no-till, strip-till and cover crops help this Canadian family stay competitive with a diversified 1,800-acre operation that includes 70 dairy cows, 20,000 egg-producing laying hens and production of 850,000 broilers each year.

By Frank Lessiter posted on October 18, 2019 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Nutrient Management

When your family has been farming some of the same ground for more than 255 years, there have been many changes.
Read More

Understanding the Limits of Soil Health Tests

A study of three commercial soil health tests looked at whether they could distinguish different management systems and provide useful insights to no-tillers.

By Laura Barrera posted on October 9, 2019 | Posted in Soil Health

Several years ago, the Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative (CCSI), a program focused on improving soil health in Indiana, began receiving questions from farmers about soil health tests.
Read More

Cotton, Sesame and Livestock Add Diversity to No-Till Operation

Southwestern Oklahoma farmers Matt and Bill Braun have watched their operation evolve from a conventional continuous wheat farm to an operation featuring cotton, sesame, livestock and cover crops.

By Dan Crummett posted on October 8, 2019 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Soil Health

When Matt Braun was in high school, his father switched the family’s southwestern Oklahoma farm from a conventional-till wheat/cattle/milo operation to no-till, mainly to reduce labor and equipment costs.
Read More

Strip-Till Innovator

Lifelong Learning Leads to Successful Mentorship of Strip-Till Strategies

For Northfield, Minn., strip-tiller David Legvold, being a strip-till teacher and advocate for the practice is built on the willingness to make mistakes and learn from them.

By David Legvold posted on October 18, 2019

After moving to the farm in 1976, David Legvold had a grand vision of being an organic farmer. Organic production was presented as the only way to go, because it was so good for the environment. But the soil degradation from tillage made him change his mind.
Read More

6 Planter Setups for Tough No-Till Conditions

Growers in central Pennsylvania share how they tweaked their planting units to optimize corn stands while still getting cover crops into their rotations.

By John Dobberstein posted on October 14, 2019 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Equipment, Residue Management

Soil conditions in Pennsylvania can vary as much as the terrain, from sandy or clay loam to rocks and knobs of shale — presenting a potential nightmare for no-tillers trying to achieve consistent stands and protect yield potential.
Read More

Gaining Critical No-Till Insights with Thermal Imaging

Frustrated with inaccurate soil maps and inadequate imagery, no-tillers Dan and Brian Sutton developed their own solutions for precision farming.

By Julia Gerlach posted on October 13, 2019 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Equipment, Nutrient Management, Precision Agriculture

In a lot of ways, Dan and Brian Sutton’s farm operation looks a lot like a typical no-tiller’s from the Upper Midwest. They no-till 1,300 acres of corn and soybeans, mostly on rented land, but they include some alfalfa and wheat to help feed a small herd of cows.
Read More

How to Combat Compaction in a Soggy Season

Soil compaction happens to everyone and wet weather makes it worse. Here’s what you need to do to get ahead of compaction problems — or correct it once you’ve got it.

By Julia Gerlach posted on October 16, 2019 | Posted in Cover Crops, Equipment, Soil Health

The 12 months between July 2018 and June 2019 saw record precipitation in the U.S., with an average of 37.86 inches, which is 7.9 inches above normal. With such brutal conditions to contend with, soil compaction has been a concern for many farmers this year.
Read More

Minimal Tillage, Cover Crops Work Together to Improve Soil Health and Hold Nutrients

Using no-till and strip-till along with cover crops can set your soils up for improved water infiltration and soil biological activity while maximizing nutrient resources.

October 10, 2019 | Posted in Cover Crops, Crop Protection, Nutrient Management, Soil Health, Water Management

Facing challenges is a daily occurrence for farmers, but each day, the challenge looks different.
Read More

No-Till Roundtable

What questions do you have, or information gaps do you see, with the new soil health tests on the market today?

October 15, 2019 | Posted in Soil Health

10 no-tillers reveal the questions and concerns they have about the new soil health tests.
Read More
Featured Articles

Featured Articles

With Last Spring’s Extremely Late Planting Season, No-Tilling Corn in 20-Inch Rows Could Have Helped Overcome Yield Worries

October 18, 2019

Back in 2009, No-Till Farmer editors produced an article in which Fred Below listed the “7 Corn Growing Wonders of the World.”
Read More

Strip-Till Innovator

Lifelong Learning Leads to Successful Mentorship of Strip-Till Strategies

For Northfield, Minn., strip-tiller David Legvold, being a strip-till teacher and advocate for the practice is built on the willingness to make mistakes and learn from them.

By David Legvold posted on October 18, 2019

After moving to the farm in 1976, David Legvold had a grand vision of being an organic farmer. Organic production was presented as the only way to go, because it was so good for the environment. But the soil degradation from tillage made him change his mind.
Read More

What I've Learned from No-Tilling

Planter Building Proves A Useful Skillset for Pennsylvania No-Tiller

Horse or tractor-farmed fields alike benefit from no-till and a strategically built and well-maintained planter.

By Gideon Stoltzfus and Martha Mintz posted on October 10, 2019 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops, Equipment

I think readers will find our experiences with no-till to be equally foreign and familiar. Foreign in the fact that on our family farm, the horsepower that runs our field operations comes from actual draft horses. Familiar in that we've gained many benefits from making the move to no-till.
Read More
Digital Edition

Digital Edition

For Digital Subscribers: Access Your Digital Flipbook of the November 2019 Issue

October 25, 2019

Now view magazine-like digital flipbooks on your desktop and tablet. Starting with 2015 issues, included for FREE with your Digital or Premium subscription, view the magazine on your laptop, tablet, and mobile device.
Read More
Online Extras
Online Extras
Online Extras: November 2019 Issue

October 25, 2019

Web-exclusive content for this issue includes:

Lessons from the Field: How Growers Profit from Regenerative Soils

What questions do you have, or information gaps do you see, with the new soil health tests on the market today?
No-Till Farmer Multimedia
No-Till Farmer’s Best of the Web

Read More

This month's digital sponsors:

Current Issue

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

Innovators Honored for Blazing a Path for No-Till Adoption

Searching for a Silver Lining After a Tough Year of No-Tilling

When it Comes to Brand Loyalty, More Growers Are Willing to Switch Brands with Planter, Drill & Sprayer Buys — Three Slices of the Overall Farm Equipment Market Which Are Critical for No-Tillers

Must Read Free Eguides

Download these helpful knowledge building tools

Ponds, Panels, Pollinators: No-Till Innovator Takes Conservation to Next Level

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.

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No-Till Farmer

View Archived Issues

November 2019: Conservation Tillage Guide

Table of Contents

With Last Spring’s Extremely Late Planting Season, No-Tilling Corn in 20-Inch Rows Could Have Helped Overcome Yield Worries

Lessons from the Field: How Growers Profit from Regenerative Soils

Planter Building Proves A Useful Skillset for Pennsylvania No-Tiller

No-Till Innovations from the 2019 Summer Farm Shows

When No-Till Alone Isn’t Enough to Prevent Costly Erosion

Understanding the Limits of Soil Health Tests

Cotton, Sesame and Livestock Add Diversity to No-Till Operation

Lifelong Learning Leads to Successful Mentorship of Strip-Till Strategies

6 Planter Setups for Tough No-Till Conditions

Gaining Critical No-Till Insights with Thermal Imaging

How to Combat Compaction in a Soggy Season

Minimal Tillage, Cover Crops Work Together to Improve Soil Health and Hold Nutrients

What questions do you have, or information gaps do you see, with the new soil health tests on the market today?

Featured Articles

With Last Spring’s Extremely Late Planting Season, No-Tilling Corn in 20-Inch Rows Could Have Helped Overcome Yield Worries

Lifelong Learning Leads to Successful Mentorship of Strip-Till Strategies

Planter Building Proves A Useful Skillset for Pennsylvania No-Tiller

Digital Edition

For Digital Subscribers: Access Your Digital Flipbook of the November 2019 Issue

Online Extras

Online Extras: November 2019 Issue

This month's digital sponsors:

Top Articles

Current Issue

No-Till Farmer

Innovators Honored for Blazing a Path for No-Till Adoption

Searching for a Silver Lining After a Tough Year of No-Tilling

When it Comes to Brand Loyalty, More Growers Are Willing to Switch Brands with Planter, Drill & Sprayer Buys — Three Slices of the Overall Farm Equipment Market Which Are Critical for No-Tillers

Must Read Free Eguides

Videos

Ponds, Panels, Pollinators: No-Till Innovator Takes Conservation to Next Level

Needham Ag Technologies, LLC

Titan International, Inc

The Andersons PureGrade