Articles by Dan Crummett

Change to FAA Regulation Allows 1 Operator to Fly 3 Sprayer Drones

FFA regulation exemption for U.S.-based drone maker allows 1 person to operate 3 drones in a swarm, a 3-fold increase in productivity

By Dan Crummett posted on March 28, 2024 | Posted in Precision Agriculture

The FAA recently granted Texas-based drone manufacturer Hylio a regulatory exemption that allows 1 operator to simultaneously pilot 3 heavy-lift drones instead of requiring an operator and observer per 1 drone over 55 pounds.

Treat Soil Samples Right for More Accurate Fertilizer Prescriptions

Studies show storage of soil samples & sample bag type affect soil health test results

By Dan Crummett posted on February 6, 2024 | Posted in Soil Health

How soil samples are treated after they leave the field can have dramatic effects on soil test accuracy, according to studies in Oklahoma and Kansas.

Bacteria Strain Serves Up Plant-Available Phosphates

Found growing naturally in a phosphorus mine, rhizobacteria are being harnessed to boost phosphorus cycling in corn fields

By Dan Crummett posted on October 27, 2023 | Posted in Nutrient Management

When strip-tillers and researchers talk about the benefits of soil microbes populating the root zone of field crops, the conversation generally revolves around more efficient plant use of nitrogen and potential reductions in losses of plant life’s hard-to-hang-onto primary food source.

Working Smarter, Not Harder Helps Strip-Tiller Strive for 25% Reduction in P&K Application

Young Illinois farmer began strip-tilling his fields the fall before he got the deed to the land and by spring, even some of his closest doubters were convinced he was on the right track.

By Dan Crummett posted on October 9, 2023 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Cover Crops

Clayton Coulter is a young man of purpose and it doesn’t take a long visit with him to realize the self-directed momentum that led him to launch his own farm at 24 years old as a strip-tiller for corn production — on land that had been 100% conventionally farmed for years.

Retaining High Strip-Till Yield by Protecting Variable Soils

Achieving 80-plus bushel soybeans and 260-plus bushel corn isn’t an accident for Illinois strip-tiller John Potter who leverages cover crops, timely fertilizer applications and a strategic equipment mix to succeed solo on 1,250 acres.

By Dan Crummett posted on September 12, 2023 | Posted in Cover Crops, Equipment

John Potter was looking for a way to reduce labor on his west central Illinois farm when he decided to become a strip-tiller nearly 20 years ago.

Resourceful Management Reaps Strip-Till Benefits

Relying on equipment sharing and an agronomic eye, in 4 years of strip-tilling Justin Krell has cut fertilizer use by 30% and achieved 230-bushel corn.

By Dan Crummett posted on September 7, 2023 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Nutrient Management, Soil Health

Justin Krell says he started strip-tilling in 2017 mainly to make better use of his time and money — both important factors considering he’s trying to expand his farm while also working full-time as an agronomist for a seed corn company.

Prospering from a Green and Growing Approach on Every Acre

Precise placement, intensive soil-sampling and cover crop experiments help cut New York strip-tiller Donn Branton’s fertilizer rates in half and significantly boost corn yields over 40-year career.

By Dan Crummett posted on August 23, 2023 | Posted in Cover Crops, Nutrient Management, Soil Health

Precise placement, intensive soil-sampling and cover crop experiments help cut New York strip-tiller Donn Branton’s fertilizer rates in half and significantly boost corn yields over 40-year career.

Clearing Out the Equipment Shed with a Switch to Strip-Till

Illinois grower Craig Taylor uses strip-till, custom services and cover crops to achieve competitive yields using less labor and machinery, while also catching more rainfall and building soil organic matter.

By Dan Crummett posted on July 31, 2023 | Posted in Cover Crops, Soil Health

When Craig Taylor decided to reduce machinery costs on his 725-acre corn and soybean farm in west central Illinois, he was convinced to move to no-till farming. But he also experimented with his crop service provider’s strip-till bar and liked the results.

Strip-Till & Banded Fertilizer Boost ROI

The benefits of banded nutrients naturally led Dan Lane to strip-till 20 years ago and his corn yields and bottom line have proven it was a good change.

By Dan Crummett posted on July 6, 2023 | Posted in Equipment, Nutrient Management, Precision Agriculture

Since becoming the sole operators of their family’s Homewood Farms in 2000, Dan Lane and his wife, Jennifer, have used precision practices and conservation tillage to significantly boost corn and soybean yields as well as overall farm income.

Strip-Till Viable on Both Ends of Cross-Country Farm Move

Texas corn producers move their farm 1,300 miles east and pick up where they left off when their High Plains strip-till operation was displaced by a growing dairy. The sand’s the same in South Carolina.

By Dan Crummett posted on June 20, 2023 | Posted in Nutrient Management, Soil Health, Water Management

It’s rare when a farm gets bought out that the owner moves half way across the country just to start again. That’s what brothers Brandon and Colt Woody did, after some serious, careful planning.

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It’s Never Too Late to Start Strip-Tilling

Smashing the 200-Bushel Barrier with Strip-Tilled Soybeans

Best of Both Worlds: Fall vs. Spring Strip-Till

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Did Strip-Till Solve My Nutrient Stratification Problems?

Independent on-farm researcher Marion Calmer checks in from Alpha, Ill., with a preview of his 2024 National Strip-Tillage Conference presentation, “Did Strip-Till Solve My Nutrient Stratification Problems?” Over the last 5 years, Calmer has been examining fertility levels vertically in his soil profile. This inch-by-inch examination uncovered a serious nutrient stratification problem on his farm that was costing him up to $135,000 annually. The No-Till Legend switched back to strip-till in 2023 for the first time since 1995 in an effort to solve his nutrient stratification problems.

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Montag Mfg

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Kuhn Krause, Inc

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.