Equipment

Kelly's big focus this season has been reducing crop stress. He believes that we have enough fertility in the plant, and that in order to bust that yield ceiling he needs to mitigate stress. All of his growing season stress reducers have been applied at the foliar level. Can he reduce crop stress by applying stress reducers at the root level through a drip system? He is teaming up with Netafim, NutraDrip, Agricen and Iowa State to find out this season.

Kelly is starting up his Netafim subsurface drip irrigation system for the first time this season. Kurt Grimm from NutraDrip explains the start-up process.

Matt is working some ground that he would never have been able to work this early in the season. The reason? His new ADS drain tile installation that has drained the water off the field earlier than he can ever remember.

If you farm in the Delta, then you probably are farming in Sharkey Soil. Often referred to as Gumbo, the heavy clay soil is poor draining and slow to permeate, and usually prevents farmers like Matt Miles from working their fields until late spring at earliest. This year, Matt Miles took the very unusual step of installing drain tile in one of his fields. He explains the decision, expected ROI and results he is already seeing in his first spring with his new tile from Advanced Drainage Systems.

Kevin shares his idea for an economical way to keep fresh water pressurized and available for washing down sprayers and planters

There’s a lot to consider heading into any new crop year but especially as we prepare for 2022 with record run-ups in input prices, lack of input inventory, Covid marketplace impacts, and uncertainty. One consideration always in play is whether or not to alter the crop rotation. XtremeAg farmer, Chad Henderson explains why he’s staying the course in 2022 with his usual crop acreage splits.

Winter is a good time to reflect back on what the prior farming season taught us and how we can apply those lessons for success in the new year. Alabama farm operator and XtremeAg co-founder Chad Henderson discusses some of his 2021 investments and ventures. He also covers the business and personal lessons he’s applying for a more prosperous 2022. From installing drainage (for the first time!), to practicing patience as a manager, Chad has plenty of lessons to share from the year that was.

Kevin Matthews is always looking for a way to improve upon how he does what he does on his North Carolina farming operation. In 2021 he implemented changes in how he plants, how he sprays, and how he harvests. Looking ahead to crop year 2022, he discusses how he’ll perfect his newly implemented changes. Remember, if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten. And that simply won’t do for an XtremeAg producer!

Three years in the making, Kelly talks with Jim Ed Beach from Netafim and Kurt Grimm from Nutradrip about a new system they are working on that will allow hog farmers to utilize the naturally created waste products as fertilizer in a drip system. Based on the same premise that Netafim uses to run dairy cow effluent through drip systems, the system overcomes the barriers that had previously prevented swine effluent from being used in drip applications.