The 2018 OhioNoTill Conference, featuring topics related to nutrient application, nutrient cycles, water quality and more, is tomorrow, Tuesday, Dec. 11, in Plain City in central Ohio. Experts from CFAES will be among the speakers. Find out more.
no-till
‘Proactive measures to improve our soil health’
Whether talking to farmers in France, Ghana or southern Ohio, the message of CFAES soil scientist Rafiq Islam is consistent: Tilling the land does more long-term damage than good.
Untill then: Ohio Conservation Tillage Conference is March 2-3
Ohio’s big annual Conservation Tillage Conference is coming up. Sponsored by CFAES, it’s March 2-3 in northwest Ohio.
How does conservation tillage fit with sustainable agriculture?
Potentially very well, says a fact sheet by the national ATTRA sustainable agriculture program:
“The principal benefits of conservation tillage are improved water conservation and the reduction of soil erosion. Additional benefits include reduced fuel consumption, reduced compaction, planting and harvesting flexibility, reduced labor requirements, and improved soil tilth.”
All those, of course, can support and improve a farm’s economic and ecological sustainability.
Get conference details here. (Photo: Jane Johnson, USDA-ARS.)
3 research-based ways to cut runoff, boost water quality
South Dakota State University scientists working on a project led by CFAES’s Rattan Lal, Distinguished University Professor in the School of Environmental and Natural Resources, say no-till farming, cover crops and rotational grazing can help farmers reduce surface runoff to improve soil and water quality.
Data for their study, some 40 years’ worth, came from USDA and CFAES’s North Appalachian Experimental Watershed in Coshocton, Ohio.
All that you can leave behind
Practices such as no-till farming take the stage March 3-4 at the big annual Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference in northwest Ohio. CFAES is a sponsor. Lower fuel use, less soil erosion and better water quality are among the many benefits of conservation tillage. (Photo: No-till corn by Peggy Greb, USDA-ARS.)
Dec. 3: Conference for farmers on no-till
For a farmer, choosing not to till the soil can make it more fertile and keep it from eroding, the former a plus for food production, the latter a boon to water. On Dec. 3, CFAES experts will speak on science-tested ways to carry out the practice. Details here and here (PDF). (Photo: No-till soybeans, NRCS.)
No-till says yes to less soil erosion, more moisture in soil in a drought
This year’s Ohio No-Till Field Day takes place this Thursday (9/13) at the David Brandt Farm in Carroll, Ohio. Details.