A study published this week by Washington State University research professor Charles Benbrook finds that the use of herbicides in the production of three genetically modified herbicide-tolerant crops — cotton, soybeans and corn — has actually increased.

in MSU strip-tilled sweet corn trials, plots with rye residue on the soil surface had approximately 5 percent greater water content in the top 10 inches then plots without rye mulch.

In recent years, some no-tillers have criticized strip-till, pointing to instances of severe soil erosion in fields that were strip-tilled up and down hills. But more than 25 years ago, a study by three agricultural engineers at the University of Illinois showed that strip-tilling on the contour effectively minimized soil erosion and limited losses of herbicides and insecticides.

Hiring a custom strip-tiller allowed Cresco, Iowa, grower Frank Moore to switch tillage systems 3 years ago without buying new equipment.

Dutiful cooperators have captured an inordinate number of black cutworm moths in traps in Indiana and Illinois in the last couple weeks.

Farmers are weighing their options and research is ongoing as the unseasonably warm winter let radish cover crops survive.