Soil Health

View the secret underground world of soil livestock —including beneficial bacteria, mycorrhizal fungi and earthworms — that are essential to building healthy soils and reducing your cost of production.

ARTICLES

Strip-Till Research Journal

International No-Till, Strip-Till and Cover Crops Research Journal – September 2024

Each month, the conservation ag group at Cornell University offers an analysis of the latest scientific papers dealing with conservation agriculture research from around the world. For this on-going web series, our editors will be selecting several research papers from the Cornell list that will be of special interest to North American no-tillers, strip-tillers and cover croppers.


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Strip-Till Benchmark Survey

Strip-Till Corn Yields 9 Bushels Higher Than No-Till Average in Dry Year

Steady yields & increased cover crop usage among key takeaways from 11th annual Strip-Till Operational Benchmark Study
Strip-Till Farmer’s 11th annual Strip-Till Operational Benchmark Study, with responses from 215 strip-tillers across the U.S., shows that strip-till yields didn’t take much of a dip in 2023, despite much of the country experiencing dry or drought conditions.
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PRODUCTS

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Cover Crop Strategies Volume 1

$15.95
The editors of Cover Crop Strategies and No-Till Farmer created this 24-page special report to share ideas on getting covers established, using a roller-crimper for termination, successfully integrating livestock into a cover-crop system and using covers to transition away from an overdependence on herbicides and fertilizers.

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Cover Crop Strategies Volume 4

$15.95

With this 16-page, newly-released edition of Cover Crop Strategies, you’ll discover how many graziers realize profitable returns from using cover as high- quality forage. Read how cover crop rotation paired with a grazing system completes a no-tiller’s holy grail of soil health. You’ll also hear from the late cover crop expert Dave Brandt as he discusses his best practices for getting the most out of cover crops.

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Understanding Soil Fertility for Higher Yields

$15.95

This special report was put together to help farmers understand soil fertility and the connection with crop yields. From Neal Kinsey’s explanation of how to nurture soils so they become a thriving, productive system to the importance of sulfur to identifying nutrient imbalances on real-life soil tests, the topics covered illuminate today’s generally accepted understanding of soil fertility.                     

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Soil Biology Boost Package

$44.85
$29.95
$14.90 (33%)
This special package gives you best practices to ensure a balanced and diverse soil system that promotes maximum yields year after year. Learn dozons of ways to improve the health and diversity of the life under your feet so you can farm with more productivity and profitability View
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Cover Cropping Triple-Play Package

$44.85
$29.95
$14.90 (33%)
This 3-report package offers a trifecta of top-notch reports exploring the most critical cover cropping information you need to know. You'll learn the newest cover cropping options, explained in easy-to-understand terms so you can put them into practice immediately. View
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No-Till Fertility Practices Package

$44.85
$29.95
$14.90 (33%)

This special package gives you 3 reports geared toward helping you zero in on ways to get the best return on your investment. Learn how and when to apply what your crops need, ways to incorporate micronutrients to increase yields and the latest advice and evidence from leading researchers and no-tillers. Valued at $44.85.

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Taking the Stress Out of Strip-Tilled Corn to Improve Yields - Jerry Hatfield - NSTC 2016 - MP3 Download

$19.95

Keeping plants healthy throughout the growing season is critical to a successful corn crop. But understanding and satisfying early season nutrient needs can help strip-tillers set the stage for a bumper crop. Jerry Hatfield, supervisory plant physiologist with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), has done extensive research on the interactions within the soil-plant-atmosphere spectrum and their connection to air, water and soil quality. Hatfield will discuss recent research that looks at the correlation between early-season nutrient applications on plant health in strip-tilled corn and its impact on yields.

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Fine-Tuning Strip-Till Fertility for Long-Term Benefits - Dorviar Ruiz Diaz - NSTC 2016 - MP3 Download

$19.95

Proper placement of fertilizer in strip-till is a key factor to optimize your yields and minimize environmental impact. But in practice, the right placement is continually evolving, and can be impacted by planting technology, tillage system and weather variability. Recent research by Kansas State University soil fertility specialist Dorivar Ruiz Diaz compared placement of phosphorus in strip-till with other tillage systems to track uptake, carryover and loss. Diaz will share the results of a recently concluded 10-year university study on phosphorus application on corn after soybeans in different tillage systems and analyze key takeaways for strip-tillers from the study.

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Creating a Biological Architecture for Strip-Till Success - Tim Smith - NSTC 2016 - MP3 Download

$19.95

Building a sustainable strip-till system and strengthening soil structure are cornerstones of Tim Smith’s corn and soybean operation in Eagle Grove, Iowa. A commitment to the NRCS’s Mississippi River Basin Initiative (MRBI) has helped Smith limit erosion, reduce fertilizer application costs and increase equipment and fuel efficiency. “The biggest return with strip-till is greatly reduced soil loss,” he says. “My soil holds up better in adverse conditions by having more residue on top to preserve structure.” Smith will share how the addition of cover crops, refinements to his nutrient management practices and the introduction of a bioreactor have contributed to a comprehensive strip-tilling strategy.

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Increasing ‘Yieldability’ of Strip-Tilled Soybeans - Ryan Groholske - NSTC 2016 - MP3 Download

$19.95

Farming 1,800 acres in Tekonsha, Mich., strip-tiller Ryan Groholske is accustomed to navigating rocky — though fertile — ground with rewarding results. Having increased strip-tilled corn yields by as much as 50 bushels per acre in some areas through intensive fertilizer experimentation, Groholske has had success applying similar strategies to increase soybean production and profitability. “With strip-till, I have a raised berm, so the plants are higher than the rest of the ground, especially on top of that corn stubble, so we’re able to harvest the plants a little bit lower,” he says. Groholske will relate his strip-tilled soybean success to his overall farm management system that includes banded nutrient applications and extensive fertilizer application analysis.

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EVENTS

Webinar

[Webinar] Understanding Soil Health – Where We Are and Where We Need to Go

3/13/19 10:00 am CDT
In this webinar, sponsored by AgroLiquid, Dr. Zouheir Massri will help you understand soil health as its related to soil functionality and where we need to go to take soil health to the next level. Read More

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Strip-Till Farmer

Strip-Till Farmer delivers a mix of features on strip-till farmers, strip-till management topics and trending practices in strip-till. This FREE quarterly print newsletter is available to qualified subscribers in the U.S. and Canada. 
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