Iowa Learning Farms will host a no-till and soil health field day on Tuesday, Nov. 25, from noon to 2:00 p.m. at the Badger Community Center. The event is open to farmers and landowners at no cost and includes a complimentary meal.
Located in the heart of the Des Moines Lobe, known for the rich, dark soil, field day host Mark Thompson has been utilizing no-till on all soybean acres since 2002 and has made the transition to no-till corn in recent years. During the field day, Thompson will share his experiences adjusting machinery settings to handle the additional residue in a no-till system and timing of operations work best for his system.
“At first, it was an economics thing, then I found out that conservation, nutrient management and erosion control came along with it,” said Thompson. “If you have never tried no-till, try some no-till beans. You will be shocked how well it works and how easy it is – just hesitate to do any tillage in the fall and plant right into the corn stalks.”
Source : usda.gov