Farmers have increasingly shifted away from conventional tillage to some form of reduced tillage. In part, this reflects efforts to control labor, fuel, and maintenance costs as well as the recognition that tillage can contribute to a decrease in overall soil health.

This Agronomy Fact Sheet offers a summary of about a dozen important points about soil acidity and ag lime that would certainly be worth a review as we complete the 2014 harvest.

StripTillFarmer friend Joey Hanson, with Diversified Agronomy in Elk Point, S.D., shared this in-field video with us taking a look at some fresh custom fall strips along with a detailed walk-around of the row unit setup on his strip-till unit and how he monitors variable-rate fertilizer application in the tractor cab.

It's always amazing to see apparently still-thriving winter annual weeds underneath the snow or following some really cold weather. Our best advice at this point on fall spraying is that once fields dry or freeze up enough to allow traffic again, there is still considerable benefit to applying herbicides for control of marestail and other weeds that persist through winter.

The government has the power to hold drone operators accountable when they operate the remote-control aircraft recklessly, a federal safety board ruled Tuesday in a setback to small drone operators chafing under Federal Aviation Administration restrictions.

Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists are wrapping up a 2-year study to determine the best combination of corn hybrids, planting dates and maturity to maintain yield and maximize water-use efficiency.

With the intense rains this past season, some areas of the state had considerable gully erosion cutting up the fields, bounced across and made visible at harvest time, especially in soybeans. Some occurred in hailed out fields where there was no crop canopy to absorb the energy of the falling rain.

As the strip-till industry continues to grow, our editorial staff is planning to grow as well. Lessiter Publications, an established niche publishing company based in Brookfield, Wis., is looking for an ambitious associate editor in its agricultural division.

For the second year, a national survey of farmers has documented a yield boost from the use of cover crops in corn and soybeans, as well as a wide variety of other benefits. The survey also details the challenges and benefits farmers expect from cover crops, data on the costs of seed and establishment, and insight into how farmers learn to manage covers.

Fall after harvest is an excellent time for soil sampling and testing. This year, with lower grain prices, many growers may be looking for places to cut costs. However, cutting back on soil testing could result in lowering profits.