Last month the U.S. Department of Agriculture extended the cut-off date for Michigan farmers to submit applications for the first 2014 round of Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funding to March 21.

The trend among northern Plains farmers is toward using less tillage to produce field crops with more residue left on the soil surface and strip-till is one system being utilized in the area. Researchers from South Dakota State University detail some of the benefits and considerations for implementing and managing strip-till.

Strip tillage is one of the conservation tillage options available for managing corn residue prior to planting soybeans. Interest in strip tillage is increasing because it offers the following benefits

Farmer Doug Seltz says he expects "unbelievable" 40 percent returns from his latest investment -- a strip-till system. Iowa State University data suggest the return on his conservation tillage system will be higher.

Two years ago, George Wheeler of the GWK-branch at Douglas in the North- ern Cape and some of the prominent farmers in the district gathered around a kitchen table to discuss solutions to tillage problems.

This webinar, moderated by Jeff Littrell, farmer, founder and CEO of FHR, Inc. in Stewartville, Minn., addresses the basics and principles for quality, effective fertility that sets the table for high-yielding, profitable crops. [To view any of our webinar replays, you must be logged in with a free user account.]

Doug Miller, vice president of Midwest Bio-Tech, helps you understanding soil biological activity and how it impacts plant germination and emergence, so that you can measure and make decisions that can improve your crop stands and yields. [To view any of our webinar replays, you must be logged in with a free user account.]

Orthman Manufacturing today announced the appointment of William “Bobby� Loder as Customer / Dealer Product Support Manager. Loder will manage Orthman’s global service department and will oversee all aspects of technical support and training for the Orthman dealer network and end users.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has extended the deadline for new enrollments in the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) for fiscal year 2014. Producers interested in participating in the program can submit applications to NRCS through Feb. 7, 2014.

Ricky Kratz, Slinger, Wis., strip-tiller, talks about his transition into strip-till. After several years of zone-tilling about 2,000 acres of corn with a three-coulter Rawson system, they found stress on the 12-row Kinze 2600 planter they were using was costing them time and yield potential.