Strip-till

Strip-till is a conservation tillage practice that is being adopted by more and more farmers. Rather than plowing a whole field, strips are tilled, leaving some residue on the surface while still allowing a cleared space for the seed bed.

May 8, 2012

Article

USDA Advances Water Quality Conservation Across the U.S.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced the launch of a new National Water Quality Initiative committed to improving one to seven impaired watersheds in every U.S. state and territory. The 157 selected watersheds were identified with assistance from state agencies, key partners, and NRCS State Technical Committees. USDA's NRCS will make available at least $33 million in financial assistance to farmers, ranchers and forest landowners this year to implement conservation practices to help provide cleaner water for their neighbors and communities....More
Apr. 13, 2012

Article

Keep Safety in Mind this Planting Season

Farmers across the Midwest are off to an early start this planting season. Spring is typically the busiest time of the year for farmers, and when rushing to take advantage of ideal planting conditions, it can be easy to neglect simple steps for staying safe and healthy while in the field. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics an average of 700 deaths can be attributed to farm work injuries each year and an additional 120,000 agricultural workers sustain disabling injuries from work-related accidents. Many of these accidents occur during the spring planting season....More
Apr. 11, 2012

Article

Conservation Practices Preserve Soil, Save Money

Farm conservation practices not only preserve soil and water, but they also can save growers money, says Tony Vyn, a Purdue Extension agronomist. Techniques such as no-till and sub-surface nutrient banding can keep soils productive, protect nutrients from runoff, lessen the amount of fuel farmers use and reduce labor costs....More
Apr. 10, 2012

Article

Strip-till Improves Soybean Yield

Crop yield can be improved by ensuring adequate nutrient availability. But how should you place the fertilizer and what cropping system gives the best yields? Research conducted by University of Illinois Assistant Professor of Crop Sciences Fabián Fernández, Professor of Crop Sciences Emerson Nafziger and graduate student Bhupinder Farmaha looked at how tillage, and phosphorus and potassium placement and rates, affected the distribution of soybean roots and the levels of water and nutrients in the soil....More
Mar. 1, 2012

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

Think Different: New Knowledge Opens The Mind

My passion as a news and technology junkie has helped my agricultural journalism career immensely. And one fun component of that curiosity and passion is to ask farmers what's new in order to learn their passions....More
Mar. 1, 2012

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

New Ways to Evaluate Soil

Soil quality is the most important base layer for all farm production decisions. That includes decisions about yield goals, plant populations, fertility programs and hybrid genetics, says Clay Mitchell, a Harvard-educated corn and soybean grower, futurist and new technology guru from Buckingham, IA....More
Mar. 1, 2012

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

Change Mindset, Change Tillage | Move to Strip-till Saves Fuel, Equipment, Time

Six years ago, brothers Tom and Jim Wagner, Primghar, IA, made a decision that changed their farming lives – and they’ve never looked back. The corn and soybean producers had shared equipment with a neighbor, using his tractor and ripper in exchange for planting his crops. When the neighbor opted for an off-farm job, he rented his land to the Wagners. He auctioned off his big tractors and tillage equipment and, as Tom and Jim weighed the possibility of taking on more land, they took a hard look at their own equipment situation....More
Feb. 15, 2012

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

The Chesapeake Impact | Lawsuit Between EPA and Farm Bureau Could Have Broad Consequences

The water quality fight simmering in the Chesapeake Bay region could drastically impact agricultural land use from Virginia to Montana by the time the legal battle is over....More
Feb. 8, 2012

video

2012 Conservation Legacy Award South Region Winner: Bryant Farms

Cullen Bryant, of Bryant Farms, Dillon, SC, explains his conservation efforts. The South Carolina farm pursues both economic and environmental sustainability....More
Feb. 3, 2012

Article

Corn and Soybean Digest

Technology to Track | Telematics, Crop Sensing are the Next Big Precision-Ag Tools.

In the world of precision ag, two technologies are the next big thing, says Matt Darr, Iowa State University ag engineer. They aren’t newly developed technologies, but they are the next big wave in agriculture....More