Poultry litter can provide a significant and important supply of nutrients for crop production in areas where a supply of litter is available. Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma rank among the largest producers of poultry in the U.S.

Corn and soybean harvest continues to move along in Illinois, and as the 2013 crops come off, thoughts turn to fall fertilization. In this article we'll discuss nutrients other than nitrogen. This will be followed soon by an article on nitrogen.

New technology developed by The University of Nottingham enables crops to take nitrogen from the air rather than expensive and environmentally damaging fertilizers.

Is there a fallow period in your crop rotation after wheat harvest? If so, you have an excellent opportunity to seed various legume cover crop species to supply nitrogen (N) to your following crop.

The Corn Nitrogen Rate Calculator is an online tool that allows determination of nitrogen (N) application rates for corn production and is helpful in determining the effect of fertilizer and corn price on needed rates. The method for calculating suggested N rates is based on a regional (Corn Belt) approach to N rate guidelines.

One of more interesting things I've learned about strip-till is how the practice can vary from farmer to farmer, depending on their years of experience. While there are principles to adhere to — noted by Illinois strip-tiller Alan Madison in this edition's feature story — there's also no textbook way to strip-till.

Nebraska Strip-Tiller Thrives on Spring Crop Rotation Flexibility Brandon Hunnicutt, strip-tiller in Giltner, Neb., talks about building his strips in the fall without nutrient placement, to provide crop rotation flexibility in the spring. He also discusses the potential of placing dry fertilizer in the fall to stay ahead of nitrogen regulations in the state.

New technology could give no-tillers the results of PSNTs in only minutes, helping them get more out of sidedressing applications in corn.

A historical analysis of corn research shows that new hybrids are taking up more nitrogen than older plant varieties after the crucial flowering stage, a clue as to how plant scientists will need to adapt plants to increase yields.

Engineered to produce the bacterial toxin, Bt, "Bt corn" resists attack by corn rootworm, a pest that feeds on roots and can cause annual losses of up to $1 billion, but besides merely protecting against these losses, the Bt trait has also boosted corn yields, in some cases beyond normal expectations.