Nutrient Management

Facing Down a Very Strong El Niño: It's Not Time for Fall Nitrogen Yet

Sat, 31 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0400

If you feel behind this fall, you are not alone. Just under half of Iowa's corn is harvested, 4-inch soils are still in the upper 50s, and a very strong El Niño is likely to keep them warm well into November.

[Podcast] What the Top Strip-Tillers Are Doing to Boost Profitability

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0400

On this episode of the Strip-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Yetter Farm Equipment, we break down the biggest strip-till equipment, fertilizer and cover crop trends in the U.S.

Farmer Eliminates White Mold with Drywall Compost Mix

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Sat, 24 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Allen Dornacker had a major white mold problem in his no-till soybean fields 10 years ago.

New Cash Crop Gives Soils a Boost

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0400

On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Bio Till Cover Crops, Ross Bishop explains how Kernza is giving his soils a boost in Jackson, Wis.

USDA Targets $1.3B Toward Fertilizer Manufacturing Capacity

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 15:19:27 -0400

With fertilizer supply chain issues and prices causing major headaches for U.S. farmers, the USDA said it’s investing $1.3 billion in selected projects to strengthen domestic sources.

Soil Health Champs, Local Trailblazer & SoilWarrior Inventor Headline Strip-Till Hall of Fame Class

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Thu, 22 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0400

2026 Hall of Famers honored for playing a pivotal role in moving the strip-till practice forward & their overall impact on the industry

Capturing Early Success with Strip-Till: A 5-Year Plan for Proving It Works

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Running RTK autosteer, testing different setups & creating comparison plots were keys to implementing strip-till for Minnesota farmer Harmon Wilts

Huma Enters Granular Fertilizer Market

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 09:41:24 -0400

Since 2024, Huma has largely focused on the turf and ornamental market with Gro-Power branded products, based on heavy demand.

Strip-Till Conference Delivers Lessons Learned from the Field & Mind

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Hundreds exchange moneymaking ideas at 13th annual educational event in Springfield, Ill.

5 Big Things from the Farm Progress Show

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Dozens of companies showcase new strip-till innovations at the nation’s largest outdoor farm show

How Endophytes Help Protect Crop Potential

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0400

What happens when beneficial microbes establish within a plant—and why that relationship is central to ENAI’s approach to biologicals. Brought to you by Indigo Agriculture.

35th No-Till Conference Has Strip-Till Flavor

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0400

The long list of more than two-dozen speakers at the 35th annual NNTC, slated for Jan. 13-15 in downtown Indianapolis, includes veteran no-tillers/strip-tillers, experienced agronomists and researchers and knowledgeable equipment experts with practical experience who can help attendees solve their most difficult challenges.

Learn to Read Your Soil Tests & Save Thousands on Fertility

mpaukner@lessitermedia.com — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Ag PhD host & strip-till veteran Brian Hefty links soil tests to yields to precisely feed crops.

How Strip-Till Saved 168,555 Tons of Soil … & Revisiting a Bold Prediction from 3 Years Ago

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 14:00:00 -0400

In his latest blog, Noah Newman shines light on how conservation practices like strip-till are making a difference in one of the top corn and soybean growing states in the U.S., and revisits a bold strip-till prediction from 3 years ago.

Flexible Thinking Leads to Strip-Till Corn-on-Corn Payoff

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0400

"The way I found out I could grow continuous corn was by not being afraid to try a new thing and then keep pushing it," says Will Jones, who strip-tills in Sioux Rapids, Iowa.

[Podcast] 100,000 Acres of Strip-Till Lessons with Joey Hanson

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 08:00:00 -0400

On this episode of the Strip-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Yetter Farm Equipment, longtime strip-tiller Joey Hanson shares key observations form his 3-state strip-till journey.

Switch Bioworks, Bayer to Collaborate on Biological Nitrogen

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Switch Bioworks said it’s pioneering a new category of biofertilizer through programmable biology through genetically engineered microbes developed at Stanford.

Cover Crops, Grazing & Wood Chips Part of Award-Winning Conservation Formula

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0400

On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Bio Till Cover Crops, Bob and Robby Jewell explain how they incorporate wood chips, cover crops and rotational grazing into their Leopold Conservation Award-Winning system in northeast Iowa.

[Podcast] Corn Belt Farmer Details Switch from Deep Strip-Till to Shallow Strip-Till

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 25 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0400

On this episode of the Strip-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Yetter Farm Equipment, we head inside Josh Sullivan’s strip-till operation in Morrisonville, Ill.

16 Things to Check for on a Soil Test

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0400

Let’s move on now to our Video of the Week and a highlight from Brian Hefty’s Strip-Till Conference presentation. The Ag PhD co-host shared 16 things he pays attention to on his soil tests, starting with soil organic matter.

Farmer Eliminates White Mold Problem with Drywall Compost Mix in Soybeans

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 07:00:00 -0400

On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Yetter Farm Equipment, Allen Dornacker shares the benefits of using drywall in his compost mix in West Bend, Wis.

[Podcast] Fighting Back Against Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN)

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0400

On this episode of the Strip-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Yetter Farm Equipment, senior editor John Dobberstein goes 1-on-1 with Iowa State Univ. nematologist Greg Tylka.

[Video] Beck’s PFR Director Jim Schwartz Discusses Root Architecture and Hybrid Selection

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0400

Jim Schwartz, director of Practical Farm Research (PFR) for Beck’s Hybrids, discusses key lessons learned from years of root architecture research, fertility studies and how to match hybrids to the way you manage your strip-till operation.

[Video] RhizoSorb Phosphorus Fertilizer Shows 10% Per Acre Cost Savings Across 200 Trials

Sat, 12 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0400

New fertilizer options took center stage in the Agronomy Zone at the 2026 Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa. The 6-acre research plot gave crop input suppliers a space to showcase the benefits of their products in the field.

5 Big Strip-Till Takeaways from 2026 Farm Progress Show

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 04 Sep 2026 11:22:00 -0400

“Man, this Strip-Till Section just keeps getting bigger and bigger every year.” That was my first thought as I started flipping through the Farm Progress Show Official Program book while chugging coffee, shortly after arriving at the nation’s largest outdoor farm show.

Big Trends, Ideas Shaping the Future of No-Till, Cover Crops at Farm Progress Show

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 04 Sep 2026 07:00:00 -0400

On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Yetter Farm Equipment, the No-Till Farmer editorial team shares their top conservation ag takeaways and observations at the 2026 Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa.

Examining the Benefits of Anhydrous Applications for Corn

Sat, 29 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0400

The N content of anhydrous ammonia is 82%, making it the most concentrated N fertilizer available, and therefore the most efficient with respect to its weight and the space it takes up, says Brad Carlson, nutrient management specialist, Univ. of Minnesota Extension.

Observations from a Field Day at Dornacker Prairie Acres

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 08:00:00 -0400

"Last week, I accompanied Strip-Till Farmer managing editor Noah Newman to a field day hosted by Cedar Creek Farmers at Dornacker Prairie Acres in West Bend, Wis, and I saw some high-tech stuff there."

TerraBlaster Raises $12.5 Million to Increase Farm Yields Through Optimized Soil Nutrients

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0400

TerraBlaster's Blaster 1000 is a towed unit that opens a shallow trench and measures soil fertility as it moves, roughly twenty times per second, producing nutrient concentration maps at a resolution of 0.15 acres.

5 Big Things to Check for When Shopping for Biologicals

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 07:00:00 -0400

On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Yetter Farm Equipment, Planet Earth Agronomy co-founder Mitchell Fiene reveals a checklist for farmers to consider when shopping for biologicals.