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Dan Crummett

Dan Crummett has more than 35 years in regional and national agricultural journalism including editing state farm magazines, web-based machinery reporting and has an interest in no-till and conservation tillage. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from Oklahoma State Univ.

Articles

ARTICLES

Adding Up Strip-Till Benefits Equals Measurable Yield Gains, Nutrient Efficiency

After 20 years of strip-till, Nebraska’s Scott Bussell has proven effective in saving soil, moisture, time and labor, while enabling more efficient use of applied nutrients.

By Dan Crummett posted on June 6, 2023 | Posted in Nutrient Management, Water Management

Scott Bussell says there’s a big difference in maximum production and optimum production when it comes to his farm’s bottom line, and he credits 20 years of strip-till management for helping him take advantage of that difference.

Sealed and Delivered Nitrogen

Illinois corn grower and fertilizer application equipment maker sees significant yield increases in Mid-South cotton and corn production behind his precision-placement slot-sealing applicator.

By Dan Crummett posted on May 19, 2023 | Posted in Equipment, Nutrient Management

Several years back John Miller had an epiphany while staring at a farm magazine cover photo. The picture featured a Mid-South farmer’s home-brew fertilizer applicator designed to place liquid nutrients in the valleys next to raised beds — a common practice in the Mississippi Delta.

Concentric Sphere Fertility Feeds High-Yielding Corn All Season

Precision fertility placement & efficient residue nutrient cycling ensure Indiana strip-tiller’s corn won’t starve in critical final leg of race to harvest pay day.

By Dan Crummett posted on April 13, 2023 | Posted in Nutrient Management

The long-time proponent of banded fertilizer placement and owner of Banded Ag, a research, consulting and custom application business in Otwell, Ind., introduced his “feed the plant, not the soil approach” in the highest-rated session at the 2022 National Strip-Tillage Conference.

Pros & Cons of Coulters, Shanks & Knives

A longtime crop consultant and OEM equipment marketer-turned-manufacturer lays out the basics of strip-till ground-engaging tool designs and how to choose the best for your needs.

By Dan Crummett posted on April 5, 2023 | Posted in Equipment

Bill Preller says knives are most prevalent in areas where strip-till evolved from converted anhydrous ammonia applicators and are more typical in central and northern Corn Belt fields.

Surviving & Thriving with Minimal Moisture Strip-Till

Strip-till counteracts prolonged drought conditions on a 17,000-acre operation, reduces fuel and labor costs by $80 per acre while producing 275 bushel corn yields.

By Dan Crummett posted on March 20, 2023 | Posted in Seeding & Planting, Water Management

During California's devastating 2012-15 drought, many Central Valley growers depending on surface water to irrigate crops were forced to cut planted acres — and potential income — by up to 50%.

Solving Stubborn Soils with Strip-Till

Trading bedded fields for strip-till cut fuel by half and improved organic matter by 1.5% for Moench Farms near Corpus Christi, Texas.

By Dan Crummett posted on March 12, 2023 | Posted in Soil Health, Water Management

Since beginning as a 160-acre Grade A dairy in 1926, there’s been a lot of change and adaptation made at Moench Farms near Agua Dulce in the Texas Coastal Plain west of Corpus Christi.

Fulfilling a Soil Health Promise with Strategic Strip-Till, Cover Cropping

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.

By Dan Crummett posted on November 16, 2022 | Posted in Cover Crops, Soil Health

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.

Stretching Strip-Till Value with Crop Diversity, Cover Crop Height

A quarter-century of strip-till for Georgia grower Barry Martin complements shoulder-high cereal rye cover crops in peanuts and cotton to reduce erosion, boost organic matter and simplify planting.

By Dan Crummett posted on November 12, 2022 | Posted in Cover Crops, Soil Health

Barry Martin was completely convinced of the benefits of a heavy cereal rye cover crop on his cotton and peanut farm near Hawkinsville in central Georgia long before cover crops were the rage.

Strip-Till Cracks Yield Cap in Staunch No-Till Country

Western Kentucky growers find strip-till adds bushels in the bin and dollars to the bottom line where no-till had reached a corn-yield plateau.

By Dan Crummett posted on October 29, 2022 | Posted in Strip-Till Farming 101, Equipment, Nutrient Management

No-till farming became a way of life early in the rolling hills of western Kentucky. Growers there, eager to protect their fragile soils, began to adopt the practice pioneered by local farmer Harry Young, who planted his first no-till crop in 1962.

Dealer Facilitates Rise of Strip-Till in Western Kentucky

H&R Agri-Power’s Jeff Morgan rented strip-till equipment, lent a strip-till rig and fertilizer cart to a local crop consultant and collaborated with input dealers to help customers adopt strip-till.

By Dan Crummett posted on October 3, 2022

In the staunch no-till country of western Kentucky, a group of dealers and their customers are working together to crack yield caps through the adoption of strip-till.

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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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