Soil Health

What I've Learned From No-Tilling: Donning No-Till Armor To Save Soils

Lucas Criswell is pushing his 30-year no-till system another step higher by seeding row crops into taller cover crops and using precision technology to safeguard nutrients and the environment.

By Martha Mintz posted on November 1, 2014 | Posted in Soil Health

I wish I could rewind and start over no-tilling with what I know now. The longer we no-till, the more we learn about what was really happening in our fields as we made the transition, and what we could have done then to take our soils farther, faster.

What I've Learned From No-Tilling: Bucking The Tillage Trend In An Alpine Desert

No-till practices are saving Colorado grower Billy Burns’ soils, and even helping his fields recover from a tragic herbicide mistake.

By Billy Burns and Martha Mintz posted on September 1, 2014 | Posted in Soil Health

As no-tillers we are definitely an oddity here in the highly productive San Luis Valley of Colorado. While we strive to keep our acres covered and undisturbed, the farmers surrounding us move masses of earth with every crop.

Dedication To Conservation Changes Soils, Pushes Yields

In the 11 years Mike Werling has been ‘never-tilling’ and using cover crops, organic matter levels climb, yellow clay soils turn blacker and yields steadily increase.

By Laura Barrera posted on August 1, 2014 | Posted in Soil Health

One of the best compliments Mike Werling ever received was a couple of springs ago, when a scientist for the federal government examined a soil pit on one of Werling’s fields.

‘Spray and Wait’ Is Critical to Tackling Green Bridge Pathogens

While green bridge is a major disease worry in the Pacific Northwest, it’s a problem Midwestern no-tillers should be leery of with certain crop rotations and cover crops.

By Frank Lessiter posted on August 1, 2014 | Posted in Soil Health

Some plant pathologists maintain green bridge is not likely to be a disease concern with the traditional Midwestern corn-and-soybean rotation. But with the expanding growth of cover crops and adoption of other crop rotations, it’s a possible disease worry for Corn Belt no-tillers.

Cover Crops Improve Soils, Boost No-Tillers’ Cow Herd

Adopting no-till, along with a diverse crop rotation and varied mix of covers, has allowed Chad and Danny Simmelink to grow their bred-heifer program.

By No-Till Farmer Editors posted on July 1, 2014 | Posted in Grazing, Soil Health

Cows and cover crops are a winning combination for Kansas no-tillers Chad and Danny Simmelink.

[Webinar] Cover Crop Basics: Capturing Nutrients

June 24, 2014 | Posted in Soil Health

Dr. Tracy Blackmer, Director of Research for Cover Crop Solutions, provides a basic understanding of the nutrient benefits provided by various species of cover crops and how no-tillers can properly utilize those cover crops to reduce their levels of applied fertilizer. [To view any of our webinar replays, you must be logged in with a free user account.]

What I've Learned from No-Tilling: Breaking Through the Plow Pan, Taking No-Till to New Heights

Ralph Upton Jr. didn’t know how his early gamble on no-till and cover crops would pay off, but he’s reaping the rewards for his sustainable investment.

By Ralph Upton and Martha Mintz posted on June 1, 2014 | Posted in Soil Health

If we’re talking cover crops, I could keep a person up all night. Cover crops are truly amazing in what they can accomplish, and the number of different hats they can wear on the farm.

Rotations, Double-Cropping Key Profitable No-Till Makeover

Oklahoma no-tiller Preston Simic is rejuvenating stagnant wheat ground by protecting it with residue, fixing fertility issues and diversifying crop rotations.

By John Dobberstein posted on May 1, 2014 | Posted in Soil Health

For many farmers, the decision to adopt no-till practices often comes down to economics.

Feeding Worms, Microbial ‘Livestock’ Transforms No-Till Fields

In hilly south-central Pennsylvania, Dave McLaughlin finds no-till, extensive cover cropping and manure application keys soil health success.

By Laura Barrera posted on April 1, 2014 | Posted in Seeding Practices, Soil Health

When Dave McLaughlin took over his wife’s family farm in 1994, he decided to take the conservation-tillage practices his father-in-law implemented a little farther.