Conservation Farming
No one knows better than you that the future of your farm depends on balancing practices and profits that sustain your land, resources and family. The stakes are evolving based on weather patterns, technology, market demand and more. What actions are you taking to remain resilient?
8 steps you can take towards sustainability
- CROP ROTATION
- REDUCED TILLAGE
- NO TILL
- COVER CROPS
- WATER MANAGEMENT
- NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT
- FORAGE AND BIOMASS PLANTING
- DATA AND RECORD KEEPING
Read More on Conservation Farming
Sustainability practices are not a silver bullet. They must be understood in concert with the specific geographies where they are adopted and the goals and needs of the individual farming operations.
Understanding the latest definition of no-till and the reasons to stay with it offer potential benefits to your management plan and can affect your bottom line as well.
“The No. 1 failure I’ve seen is when producers are interested in cover crops and just jump in without knowing what they want to accomplish,” says Paul Jasa, University of Nebraska Extension engineer.
New formed Local Seed Company says it will offer farmers a “direct-to-growers” option with a mission to provide custom crafted seed options delivered to the farm.
Cover crop support groups foster opportunities to learn from others
If you haven’t planted cover crops yet, you naturally need to know what it’s going to cost before you do. As the cliché goes, there’s an app for that. (Well, a spreadsheet.)
There’s little doubt that deploying cover crops can protect against soil erosion and bolster soil health. But new research from the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) looked into potential yield benefits as well.
The radish serves as one of many cover crop options for a no-till operation.
For more than a decade, the Farm Journal Test Plots has varied corn populations and nitrogen rates to respond to natural management zones in the field. In 2012, the crew added variable-rate irrigation to its site-specific farming portfolio.