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.
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.
Fall tillage is in full swing. Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie shares two videos to explain how to successfully set and operate your hybrid chisel and inline ripper.
The recent soil dust cloud catastrophe in central Illinois is a wake-up call from Mother Nature suggesting all of agriculture needs to implement more sustainable production practices. We owe it to future generations.
Nestled in an old barn sat 8,000 mason jars filled with soil dating back to 1862. Now the plan is to revisit the 450 sampling locations spanning 21 million crop acres for insights into soil fertility and conservation.
Farmers and crop consultants will be able to select a soil type, crop type, geographic region, and soil test extractant on the FRST website to receive unbiased soil test recommendations.
Regenerative agriculture strives to work with nature rather than against it. It’s about reversing degradation and building up the soil to make it healthier than its current state.
Cutworm and armyworm moths are on the move, looking to lay eggs. Wireworms, grubs, flea beetles, gophers and voles are also looking to take up residence in your fields. Act now to stop them.
Industry experts say the new legislative package represents a 'generational opportunity' for conservation funding and needs to reach U.S. farmers and livestock producers sooner rather than later, starting this spring.
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.
“This flawed system isn’t due to rains or weather. Unless we have remedial practices and advocate for cover crops, buffer strips and diversity, we can’t solve the problem," says Former USDA Soil Scientist Thicke.
With the potential for millions of acres to be barren you might be wondering what you can do to prevent erosion or provide feed opportunities for cattle.
Rost switched his farm to 100% no-till the following year and experimented with cover crops in a few areas. Today cover crops blanket every acre of his farm and he’s dedicated to keeping it that way.
USDA’s Crop Progress report last week put farmers in the Midwest and Mid-South in double-digit deficits in certain crops compared to the 5-year average.
After severe flooding, blizzards and other damaging weather events, USDA National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is providing EQUIP funds for Nebraska farmers to plant cover crops to manage cropland acres.
The family has been no-till for 20 years and used cover crops for 18 years. The Lassiters grow cotton, peanuts, wheat, rye, non-GMO soybeans and corn. They utilize a complex rotation to improve their soil and keep it productive for generations to come.
In what weathermen are calling “historic” flooding, those along the Missouri, Elkhorn and Platte Rivers are enduring loss of homes, productivity and livestock.
Undoubtedly, wild weather has hit your state in one way, shape or form. These farmers took to social media to share their woes. What weather is ailing you?
Since January 12, 2019, AgriTalk host Chip Flory has seen 41” of snow at his Waterloo, Iowa home. It doesn’t look like relief will come anytime soon for him or farmers in the Midwest and Midsouth.
Cover crops can provide a variety of benefits, but if you don’t terminate them well they could limit your cash crop’s success. There is more than one way to eliminate a cover crop.
As technology evolves on farms, producers are opened up to new attacks to their livelihood. A report outlines the ways precision agriculture techniques could provide additional points of vulnerability to farmers.
Farmers will be able to easily calculate return on investment for cover crops with a new online tool. It will help farmers decide whether or not cover crops work for their operation.
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) announced what may seem a surprising alliance this week, partnering with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) on sustainability efforts.
As Amanda Volsen and her husband buried four pairs of new cotton underwear they were bombarded with questions from their four young children. The biggest, and the one you might be wondering: Why bury underwear?
Ultimately, bushels are what make money. Cost per acre matters, price matters, but bushels are what actually bring in dollars and cutting yield short by renting cheaper land could cost more.
By now you’ve heard of the “carbon penalty” some producers face with residue and cover crops—but what does that really mean? And should it deter you from planting cover crops?
Two hours east of Washington DC, fourth generation farmer Trey Hill showcases his farm and conservation efforts to lawmakers and consumers through Bayer’s ForwardFarming program.
It’s important to watch your fields—not your calendar—when deciding to plant says Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie. Cool soils, wet conditions and potential late frost means you still need to be patient.
The “Agriculture Data Act of 2018” was introduced in early March this year. Its purpose is to gather more information about how USDA-sponsored conservation practices impact profitability.
