With Palmer amaranth becoming more herbicide-resistant, producers are pushing to find new ways to control it, such as using a rye cover crop to suppress it.
“It takes a little time to measure everything out and make certain it’s precise,” Kenny Rathjen says. “But we learn from one year and change for the next. We’ve participated for several years and got first in the state several times.”
Farmers who tried strip-till for the first time came back fired up. Over the past few years, we’ve had people knocking on the door saying they’re all in and want to move to strip-till and deep-placed fertilizer and do it all at once — no going slow.
The second annual Strip-Till Farmer Hall of Fame class includes Bill Preller of Congerville, Ill., Jodi DeJong-Hughes of Willmar, Minn., and David Legvold of Northfield, Minn.
“I’m happy with what I’ve seen so far,” Tyler Troiola says. “The herbicide savings were as advertised on corn. Soybeans were a little trickier, though.”
Since 2018, the Furrers’ farm has been 100% solar-powered. This means their panels generate enough electricity for the entire hog operation, their house, their shop and one of their grain drying facilities.
Minnesota strip-tiller Shawn Feikema explains how to boost corn yields by up to 30 bushels per acre by adding a third cash crop to the rotation, strategies for maximizing cover crop benefits and advice for navigating strict manure application regulations in his classroom session, "Reviving the Soil with Strip-Till, Cover Crops & Livestock."
In 2014, Feikema Farms encountered a crisis as heavy rain led to major soil erosion, resulting in crop loss and financial setbacks. To avoid a repeat, they took a bold step to enhance soil fertility and reduce erosion.
The Wabash County SWCD Board of Supervisors are such believers in this event that they are going to pay for the cost of up to 10 registrations for the 2024 National Strip-Tillage Conference — a $429 commitment per registration by the district.
Opey Rowell has a pretty straightforward take on carbon programs. “Farm the way you believe and if it fits, it fits,” says the Pekin, Ill., strip-tiller.
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.
On this edition of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by CultivAce, No-Till Farmer’s Conservation Ag Operator Fellow, Ray McCormick, showcases how he’s taking conservation ag to the next level in Vincennes, Ind., with ponds, solar panels, duck hunting and more.
Environmental Tillage Systems is a leading manufacturer of strip-till and nutrient-management equipment which enhances soil productivity and farm profitability.
Kuhn Krause's focus, above all, is to continue to produce quality products to serve producers better; to strive to respond to their needs with new tools and new technology to meet their growing challenges. Agronomic practices are constantly changing, and at a faster pace now than ever.
For over 90 years, Yetter Farm Equipment has designed and manufactured innovative and effective solutions for the agriculture industry. Today, we are proud to be recognized worldwide as an industry leader in designing row cleaners, strip till tools, planter attachments, precision fertilizer placement attachments, rotary hoes, toolbars, and harvest attachments.