Understanding the nutrient content of cover crops can be challenging because it depends on many different factors. Grasping everything that could affect the nutrient value of cover crops can be like trying to drink from a fire hose, says Jim Hoorman, but there are ways to simplify and understand how to determine what nutrients cover crops deliver to cash crops.

Andrew Focht is still trying to figure out the best fertilizer rates for his farm, but his goals are clear. He wants to slash his fertilizer bill by 25% and use only 0.8 pounds of N per bushel, which is about 0.3-0.4 pounds less than he’s used in years past.

Here are over 40 actionable ideas, tips and observations from the most recent roundtable discussions at the National Strip-Tillage and No-Tillage Conferences.

Efficiency is the name of the game for Shawn Olsen, who farms 4,500 acres with his dad, David, brother, Kelly and son, Carter, and runs a custom strip-till business that covers up to 25,000 acres in east central South Dakota.

Obviously this goes against many of the concepts we emphasize in No-Till Farmer, but I was interested in understanding the “why” behind this no-till farmer’s decision to plow again on heavy soils.

On July 12, researchers applied supplemental N treatments to two corn fields. The treatments included three supplemental N rates (0, 40 and 80 pounds per acre) and two N sources/methods of application (urea, 46-0-0, with NBPT applied as a surface broadcast, and UAN, 32-0-0, applied at the base of the corn row).