Farming

Dan is out in the field leveling out some "imperfections' in the field caused from equipment and pivots this season. He's found something that he really likes to help him get the job done.

Planting fewer seeds to achieve more bushels seems counter intuitive. After all, more is more, right? Wrong. When it comes to seeding population in soybeans, “more" might simply mean more expense with less yield to show for it. Matt and Layne Miles of Miles Farms discuss the results of their planting population trials. The Miles' experimented with 140,000 population all the way down to just 60,000 seeds per acre. The results: Yields were almost identical. The Miles' explain opportunities this creates for cost savings and they also describe some of the risks associated with planting less to harvest more.

Kelly used Xyway LFR in his 2x2 application this spring and compared it against an untreated control strip right next to it. Both plots were not treated with any additional fungicide application all season long. So what happened?

Supply chains the world over have been majorly disrupted since governments began shutting down economies and transit in Spring of 2020. Agriculture has not been excepted from these disruptions — from meat processing to paper goods shortages, we’ve been impacted. But what about Ag inputs — the very goods we require to grow crops and feed the world? Will we have what we need? Right or wrong, many of our ingredients for fertility and chemistry products derive from Asia and that could be — in fact it already is — a big problem. Tommy Roach of NACHURS and XtremeAg co-founder Kelly Garrett discuss strategies to manage input shortages.

Following behind his combines with the no-till wheat planter, Lee Lubbers walks through the no-till wheat set-up that he uses to ensure seed to soil contact in heavy residue.

This is our first year where we operated two of our sprayers with all-wheel steering, and the difference in crop damage caused by sprayer tracks has been eye-opening, to say the least.

Kelly talks with Netafim's Tim Wolf about how his entire perspective on soil health, nutrients, fertility and biologicals has changed over the last 5 years since first installing drip irrigation on his farm. More than just water, Kelly has used the system to alter PH and improve the soil environment dramatically. The results show in the higher yields he has attained since installing his systems.

Terms like “by-product” and “waste” have a negative connotation. But they shouldn’t! As Ag producers become more scrutinized and even regulated on environmental impact, we have an opportunity to showcase our “green” contribution while enhancing the black on our bottom line. One method to do this is by utilizing by products as fertility enhancements on our farms. Kelly Garrett explains how he capitalizes on free lime and free time while keeping the pH levels on his property where they need to be and saving big money too.

No-till farming creates an improved soil environment that is rich with biological activity all year long, but it also adds a blanket of residue that can make planting a challenge at times. Lee shows us what is happening underneath his layer of residue and discusses technique for ensuring seed to soil contact in a no-till environment.