Commitment To No-Till
(Continued from Pag* A 1)
higher cash income per acre
because of lower production costs,
if it isn’t done correctly a practi
tioner can be ruined quickly.
And one of the most repeated
reasons for no-dll failure was soil
compacdon, followed by poor
planning and poor prc-no-till soil
nutrient preparation.
Overall, the conference was
designed with a morning and after
noon general session featuring a
total of three speakers.
Just after the morning general
session’s two speakers finished,
and before lunch, three shorter
duration discussions woe held in
side breakout rooms, or
conference-goers could visit com
mercial exhibits by seed, equip
ment and chemical and technical
support businesses.
Again after lunch, three break
out sessions were held, followed
by the afternoon general session.
During the morning general ses
sion, William Rohrs, coordinator
of the Conservation Action Project
in the Maumee Valley Resource
Conservation and Development
Area SCS, in Defiance, Ohio, was
the speaker.
Rohrs provided 30 different tips
or observations that can help with
successful no-tilling.
According to Rohrs, there arc
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several reasons for the use of no
till and in Ohio, some of the reason
was a problem with nitrogen and
phosphorus getting into the Mau
mee River, which flows right
through main population centers,
while others have gone to no-till to
try to farm more competitively.
Rohrs prefaced his remarks with
the statement that he is not an
expert, just experienced in some
aspects that seem to be necessary
for success.
Among his recommendations
were to choose no-till for the “right
reasons.”
He said to choose it to improve
soil structure, increase water pene
tration, reduce soil erosion and to
improve the economics of the
farming operation, but not to
choose to try it because it is easier.
He also said that mapping is
important, and by that he stressed
planning, at least six months
ahead.
The other morning speaker was
Dr. Richard Fawcett, and environ
mental specialist with the Farm
Journal, in Huxley, lowa. While
his overview was the promotion of
the use of no-till to reduce the con
tamination of water supplies, he
also emphasized the need to plan
properly.
Fawcett, who directed his talks
I Make your investment count: I
more toward the chemical pesti
cides, especially herbicides such
as atrazine, said that all real
condition studies of the effect of
no-till practices and strip niters
show a benefit to the control of
chemicals from farms.
According to Fawcett, who had
previously taught at the University
of lowa, there are studies that show
the opposite is true that no-till
From the left, fanner-panelists Joseph Hottel, Jere Hissong Sr., Lyle Tabb, and
panel moderator Lynn Hoffman discuss pratical aspects of nutrient management and
farming during the Mid-Atlantic Conservation Tillage Conference. The panelists rep
resented a variety of nutrient uses, such as treated municipal sludge, composted
dairy manure being spread as a soil amendment, and liquid application. Other speak
ers discussed various aspects of successful conservation tillage farming.
o
Q>
o
Hoffman 7353
Mean
1993 MD Soybean Variety Tests
Hoffman 7403
Mean
1993 Delaware Variety Performance Summary
Hoffman 7484
Average
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Clarksville
FuH
Season
45.6
54.8
44.7
45.7
Average yield
Lancaeter Farming, Saturday, December 17,1994-A2l
fields with good soil cover actually
promote the loss of chemicals
applied to fields.
However, Fawcett said that
those studies are the result of artifi
cial conditions which simulate
rainfall on plots of ground soon
after chemical application. In
those studies, simulated rainfall is
such as would occur in rare cir
\ntage:
Crop
DriH
Double
Conv.
40.5
39.4
38.2
39.8
rantage: 3.1 Bu/A
> V DE
80.1 Bu/A
66.7 Bu/A
' YMd advantage: 13.4 Bu/A
Early Group 4 Maturity. Hoffman 7403
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cumstances, approximating heavy,
sustained downpours as might
occur with severe storms.
Under those conditions, he
explained that the deluge of water
is too heavy and fast for it to soak
into to the soil, and carry any
chemical dissolved with it into the
plant-active zone.
(Turn to Pago A22]
66.2 Bu/A
60.0 Bu/A
6.6 Bu/A
Quantico
Double
Crop
Full
Season
48.2
40.7
43.0
39.1