Lean, Mean, No-Tilling Machines

Producers gear up for planting season with proper equipment

You carefully plan your crop rotations, shop for seed varieties, budget wisely for chemicals and analyze the markets. But nothing is more important than getting your no-till crop off to the right start with proper seeding.

 

Attaining good stands in no-till requires hard working planters and drills that can handle residue without the hassle of plugging, penetrate the soil to the desired seeding depth, establish proper seed-to-soil contact and effectively close the seed-vee.

“Having the right equipment, functioning properly is one of the most important factors in no-till,” says Sterling, KS no-till farmer, Lee Scheufler. “It may seem expensive or tedious—but it’s time and money well invested.”

Scheufler and his wife, Margaret, began no-till farming in 1996 after seeing success with on-farm trials. “We decided to gradually switch from conventional tillage to no-till over several years, but in terms of equipment and mindset it was difficult to do both. By 2002 we were 100% no-till with a capital ‘N’ we do as little to disturb the soil as possible.”

The Scheufler’s do that by keeping it simple, yet being open minded. “As far as equipment—we don’t do anything exotic, it doesn’t have to be fancy to get the job done. We have always been the type to test things for ourselves before completely adopting it.”

Keeping with the idea of “try before you buy” the Scheufler’s also do custom work, making it possible for other producers in the area to try no-till without long term commitment. “It’s really about finding what works best for you,” Scheufler said. “It’s not about what everyone else is doing, or having the biggest or best —but about what fits your farm and operation.”

By evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of any piece of planting equipment and making few (if any) adjustments— many available planters and drills can be no-till worthy,, said University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Engineer, Paul Jasa.

With appropriate weight, down pressure and adjustments, most current planters and drills will perform well in no-till conditions, Jasa said. A little time spent in the early spring will help avoid headaches and delays later during the planting season, so consider your equipment needs now.

Strip-Till Videos

Videos On Strip-Till Tactics

Want to find out if strip-till pays and whether it’s tough to get into? Then don’t miss these videos on what you should consider to be successful.

Videos were recorded at the University of Minnesota Strip-Till Tour near Windom, MN.

http://cornandsoybeandigest.com/tv/

Carbon Credit Sign-Up

Deadline for Carbon Credits Contract Sign-Up is August 15

 

August 15 is the deadline for farm operators with no-till or strip-till cropping practices or new grass plantings to sign up to sell carbon credits and still take advantage of a bonus provision that includes credit for 2007 practices.

Completed contracts must be postmarked by the mid-August date to qualify, according to Chad Martin, Soils Specialist with AgraGate Climate Credits Corp. The 2008-2012 contract is for cropland farmed with continuous no-tillage or strip-tillage, or with grass plantings made since January 1, 1999. The contract also has a bonus clause for operators who used the conservation tillage practices in 2007. Blank contracts are available on the AgraGate Web site: www.agragate.com.

“The contract includes an option for an additional year of credit for cropland that was no-tilled or strip-tilled in 2007,” Martin says. “If the tillage practices qualify and can be verified the operator could earn credit for last year’s action. However, that option is gone after the deadline and the contract rolls over to a 2009-2013 term with possible 2008 credit.”

AgraGate collects carbon credits from farmers, ranchers and private forest owners, assembles the credits into large bundles, and then sells them on the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX). CCX emitting members have made a voluntary – but legally binding – commitment to meet annual greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.

Those who reduce emissions below the targets have surplus allowances to sell or bank; those who emit above the targets can comply, in part, by purchasing credits from sources such as AgraGate. Greenhouse gas emitters can use offsets for no more than 50 percent of their emission reduction goals.

AgraGate, a subsidiary of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, is the leading aggregator of carbon credits from agriculture. On behalf of farmers, ranchers and private forest owners, the company has marketed more than 3 million carbon credits from enrollments in 26 states on the CCX.

For additional information on the 2008-2012 cropland soils contract, or the 2009-2013 contract that goes into effect after August 15, call AgraGate at 866-633-6758 or visit http://www.agragate.com/.