Strip-tillers Jon Stevens of Rock Creek, Minn., Ryan Nell of Beaver Dam, Wis., and Ryan Shaw of Snover, Mich., share their approach to the 2023 growing season during a panel discussion at the 2022 National Strip-Tillage Conference.
Cover crops reduce sediment loss and total phosphorus loss from no-till corn and soybean fields, according to a study published in the Journal of Environmental Management.
The Greens started no-tilling soybeans almost 25 years ago but continued to conventionally till corn up until 2019 when Kris fully transitioned to strip-till with corn. The conservation practices are helping to solve their two biggest challenges — soil erosion and labor shortages.
"I’m a chronic malcontent, especially when it comes to our farm. If something becomes status quo, if it becomes something that everybody else is doing and we are not questioning it anymore, I start to look at it and pick at it and change it."
Fredericks, who farms just 15 miles south of the Minnesota state line in a very cold climate, points out that what worked for him might not be the best for every single farmer.
Wayne Fredericks has been no-tilling soybeans since 1991 and strip-tilling corn since 2001. But ever since he tried using cover crops in 2012, he has been able to reduce his use of fertilizer by 30%.
Iowa’s Jack Boyer uses cover crops to build soil for his Century Farm’s seed corn and soybean production, and reaps the benefits of additional nitrogen they add to his fields.
Maintaining an Iowa Century Farm while fulfilling the family goal of leaving the land in better condition than it was received, has led Jack Boyer a long way from the conventional farming his wife’s grandfather used when he settled the farm.
Jeff Olson isn’t afraid to step outside his comfort zone. A 5th-generation corn and soybean farmer in Winfield, Iowa, Olson attributes part of his willingness to take risks and try new things to his years of experience.
Eric Hawbaker didn’t grow up on a farm, but a decade of working in the fertilizer industry as an agronomist, service tech and precision ag salesman left him concerned about the losses he saw occurring as a result of broadcasting nutrients.
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On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Martin-Till, find out how several no-tillers are handling a wet month across parts of the Corn Belt. Central Illinois no-tiller Dave Brown is patiently waiting for Mother Nature to cooperate before he can finish up planting several hundred acres, while Wisconsin no-tiller Tyler Troiola deals with a tractor glitch and a 2-inch rain event in one day.
Montag products have proven results with patented precision metering application for significant savings of nutrients and cover crop seed, and for achieving best conservation practices.
Environmental Tillage Systems is a leading manufacturer of strip-till and nutrient-management equipment which enhances soil productivity and farm profitability.
Kuhn Krause's focus, above all, is to continue to produce quality products to serve producers better; to strive to respond to their needs with new tools and new technology to meet their growing challenges. Agronomic practices are constantly changing, and at a faster pace now than ever.