Farmers collect data and make operational changes through-out the course of their farming career. But how much of a correlation is there between the analysis and actual application of in-field information to improve on-farm decision-making?
The proof is in the percentages, says Osage, Iowa, strip-tiller Wayne Fredericks, who has seen a 30% reduction of both nitrogen and phosphorus application from using cover crops on his and his wife, Ruth’s, 750-acre operation.
Fredericks credits cover crops, along with his commercial corn crop, as a successful combination in sequestering carbon. He has worked with Jerry Hatfield, retired USDA plant physiologist, since the early 1980s, to collect data on his farm’s soil health. Soil testing has revealed an 8% increase in organic matter in 25 years.
The two have collaborated on ongoing research analyzing the impact management changes have on soil health and crop production.
Hatfield and Fredericks highlight how data can drive economic and environmentally advanced on-farm decisions to include a move to strip-tilled corn on Frederick’s farm in 2001, incorporation of cover crops in 2012 and detailed analysis of the changes in soil organic matter, crop yield, spatial variation in fields and water and nutrient use efficiency.
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The 2021 Strip-Tillage Conference Video Replay is brought to you by Laforge Systems. Laforge Systems, LLC is celebrating their 30th anniversary this year as the only North American company devoted 100% to supporting dealers and customers with hitch technology for tractors. Competitors come and go, but Laforge is still here. Laforge is committed to helping today's farmer, and other operators of agricultural tractors, to maximize productivity and save money. |
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