Soil Health

Mushroom Compost, No-Tilling Supercharge Soil Health Levels

By Ian Gronau posted on October 28, 2017 | Posted in Seeding Practices, Soil Health

For many farmers, rebuilding the level of organic matter in their soils is a process that can take many years, oftentimes only seeing small gains. But Kennett Square, Pa., no-tiller Jamie Hicks has seen the organic matter in some of his soils rocket from 1% to up to 5% in a relatively short period of time by spreading mushroom compost.

Frank Comments

Even Though They’re Among Ag’s Latest ‘Buzz Words,’ Cover Crops Offer a Soil-Building Strategy that No-Tillers Have Cashed in on for Several Decades

By Frank Lessiter posted on October 28, 2017 | Posted in Seeding Practices, Soil Health

While less than 2% of America’s cropland is seeded to cover crops, a remarkable 77% of no-tillers enjoy the many benefits offered by protecting the soil over the winter months.

[Video] No-Tilling, Cover Crops and Water Conservation in Alabama

October 9, 2017 | Posted in Soil Health

No-tiller Annie Dee, of the Dee River Ranch, operates a 10,000-acre row crop and cattle farm with her family near Aliceville, Ala. In addition to using cover crops in their no-till practices, they also have built a reservoir as part of a water conservation effort. This video is part of a television production called, Time Well Spent, and is sponsored in part by the Alabama Soybean Producers.

[Video] Brickstead Dairy’s Sustainability Journey

October 4, 2017 | Posted in Soil Health

At Brickstead Dairy in Greenleaf, Wis., the focus is on tomorrow as much as it is on today. Gene Brick and his son Dan, fourth- and fifth-generation no-till farmers, take seriously their roles as caretakers of the soil. Dan uses cover crops to protect the soil and surrounding streams and rivers.

Cover Crops Increase Destruction of Weed Seed

September 28, 2017 | Posted in Seeding Practices, Soil Health

The threats to crop cover thanks to weed seed and the predators who eat it.

No-till on the Plains

‘Innovations in Regenerative Agriculture’ is the Theme of AIM Symposium

Jill Clapperton, Christine Jones will headline annual event that will focus on developments in soil health and practices used by regenerative growers.

September 28, 2017 | Posted in Soil Health

Jill Clapperton, Christine Jones will headline annual event that will focus on developments in soil health and practices used by regenerative growers.

[Video] Cover Crops: 16 Demonstration Plots and Their Seed Mixes

September 25, 2017 | Posted in Soil Health

Kevin Shelley, from the University of Wisconsin’s Nutrient and Pest Management Program, tours multiple cover crop demonstration plots and provides a fundamental overview of crop benefits, with growth expectations, timing, challenges and costs.

No-Till, Covers and Livestock Tame Volatile Weather Challenges

Howling winds, dryness and poor soil quality create tough conditions in South Africa, but Egon Zunckel is making no-till work with limited irrigation, cover crops and livestock.

By Mark McNeely posted on September 16, 2017 | Posted in Soil Health

Howling winds, dryness and poor soil quality create tough conditions in South Africa, but Egon Zunckel is making no-till work with limited irrigation, cover crops and livestock.

No-Tiller Taking the Right Angles on Soil Remediation, Cover Crops

Tiling and belief in no-till’s benefits are helping Sheldon Overmyer convert 140 acres of poorly drained land into highly productive cropland for his northwest Ohio farm.

By Mark McNeely posted on September 16, 2017 | Posted in Seeding Practices, Soil Health

Tiling and belief in no-till’s benefits are helping Sheldon Overmyer convert 140 acres of poorly drained land into highly productive cropland for his northwest Ohio farm.