On July 12, researchers applied supplemental N treatments to two corn fields. The treatments included three supplemental N rates (0, 40 and 80 pounds per acre) and two N sources/methods of application (urea, 46-0-0, with NBPT applied as a surface broadcast, and UAN, 32-0-0, applied at the base of the corn row).

Chad Baker texted me a Warren, Ill., address and said, “Meet me here at 9 a.m.,” for a peek behind the curtain during one of the most hectic times of the year.

Fifteen years ago, strip-till was widely touted as the way row crop farmers could have it all. By just tilling the narrow rows where they will place their seeds, they'll have a strip with higher spring soil temperatures and a trash-free seed bed for planting like conventional tillage methods provide, but still get most of the reduced erosion and increased soil organic matter benefits of no-till.

Jerry Hatfield. Liz Haney. Roy Pfaltzgraff. Lance Gunderson, Dan Luepkes. Russell Hedrick. Sarah Martello. Talk about a cavalcade of All-Stars. With heavy hitters like those on the program, we knew this year’s Big Soil Health Event was a can’t-miss event.

Cade Bushnell received the Randy Stauffer Stewardship Award from the IL Corn Growers Association (ICGA) at their annual meeting, recognizing his farm conservation work through the Precision Conservation Management (PCM) program.

The U.S. leads the world in no-tilled acres, while two nations with the highest populations, India and China, don’t even make the Top 5 list. India has the second most arable land in the world and China comes in fifth.