Farm Journal Test Plot research proves practices that reduce soil disturbance and sequester carbon perform best in a vertical farming system, as opposed to horizontal tillage, which creates yield-limiting soil layers.
You’ve removed dense and compacted soil layers, balanced fertility and pH through the profile and set up your soil for vertical farming. Here are the final boxes to check to move away from horizontal farming.
Once you balance fertility and pH in the soil profile, and adjust to making small, more frequent lime applications, you probably won’t need to mix fertilizer into the soil, says Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal field agronomist.
Vertical tillage is not a single tool or a single pass — it's a comprehensive system, says Ken Ferrie. Here’s what you need to understand about a vertical tillage system and the first step of removing horizontal layers.
A chocolate layer cake is good. Layers of dense or compacted soil aren't so good. Once you've probed or dug and found the layers put in place by horizontal farming tools, it's time to remove them. Here's how.
Removing compaction and density layers before transitioning to a vertical system can add 15 bu. to 20 bu. per acre and might lower cost of production, according to Farm Journal Test Plot research.
What is vertical farming and how can it set you up for future government incentives? Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal field agronomist, explains it often requires mixing and matching tools for primary and secondary tillage.
The only way to increase bushels per ear is to document results in the fall and make changes next season, which involves scouting before and during harvest, analyzing results and drafting your plan.
Some of your favorite hybrids might fizzle this year, but don’t cast them out of the lineup just yet. A Farm Journal Test Plot study reveals the impact of weather and adjusting practices to maximize yield of each hybrid.
Getting into the field now can help you make more informed decisions. What if you need to spray for insects or call your insurance agent? Being proactive will pay you back many times over.
When it comes to producing crops, farmers can get competitive, always shooting for the next 10 bu. Have you ever considered you’re actually salvaging yield potential rather than maximizing it?
More ears at harvest is the key to higher yield. That requires starting with a picket-fence stand with photocopied plants, achieved by adjusting your planter as conditions change from field to field and within fields.
Corn yield results not from the number of plants in a field but rather the number of ears. Commit to season-long scouting and consider these tips for evaluating ear development.
If your soil is sick, there are ways to nurse it back to health. How long it takes depends on how unhealthy your soil has become. It’s worth the effort because healthier soil means more water for crops.
Here’s a new way to visualize your goal as a farmer: “Keep your operation within the Sustainable Triangle,” advises Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie.
“In late summer, your harvest team should perform preventive maintenance on everything needed for harvest,” says Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie.
Choosing hybrids for their ability to overcome the stresses in individual fields is several steps removed from simply looking at neighborhood plots and talking to neighbors, says Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie.
Concern about water quality has spurred nutrient reduction incentive programs and, in some cases, regulations. If you haven’t been affected by one, you probably soon will be.
Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie shares his recommendations for early-planted soybeans — with the goal of getting the plants to flower before the summer solstice on June 21.
Everybody seems to be talking about cover crops. Rightfully so because, managed correctly, they can provide environmental benefits. Higher yield? Well, maybe, but probably not, at least in the near term.
As you wait for weather conditions to clear up, temperatures to rise and planting to finally be underway, you’re undoubtedly trying to make sure the crop gets the best start.
