|
2007
Winter Conference Speaker
Page
(more information to be added
soon)
Return to Conference Home Page |
 Rolf
Derpsch, Paraguay -
www.rolf-derpsch.com
rderpsch@telesurf.com.py
Born in Chile, Rolf Derpsch has the Chilean
and the German nationality. He studied agronomy in Chile, and obtained a
M.Sc. degree from the University of Reading, UK. He has worked for GTZ,
the German Agency for Technical Cooperation from 1966 to 2001. He has a 15
year working experience in Conservation Agriculture in Brazil and 16 years
in Paraguay. Since September 2001 he is working as Freelance Consultant.
He was among the first to research the No-tillage technology in Brazil and
Latin America in 1971. He has been a consultant to FAO in several
countries. The countries he has working experience include: Chile,
Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Colombia, Honduras, Cuba, South
Africa, Somalia, Tajikistan, North Korea, Australia and Germany. He has
been a key speaker to many international conferences.
Workshop Topic:
The
No-tillage Revolution in South America
Can we learn something from South American farmers? When looking at the
experiences in South America we of course can not “copy” what is done
there. Farming is always site specific, but the principles of no-tillage
farming are valid all over the world.
While more than 85% of South American farmers are applying permanent
no-tillage systems, this is only the case with 10 - 12% of farmers in the
US. Under a situation of rotational tillage the soil is always in
transition so that farmers will never get to experience the full benefits
of the system. These three factors, lime incorporation,
phosphorus redistribution and compaction, are probably the main reasons
why farmers in the US till the soil ones in a while in the no-till system.
An additional factor is mindset. Often landlords in the US will not lease
their farm to a no-tiller because of the “dirty trash” that is left on the
soil surface. Thus, the long term benefits of continuous no-till will
never happen. Contrary to this, landlords in South America in general will
only lease the land to a no-tiller to ensure protection against erosion,
avoid soil degradation and not only maintain but improve soil fertility
over time. Farmers in Brazil, Argentina or Paraguay would only
in exceptional cases consider plowing or tilling the soil to mix
phosphorus in the soil profile, incorporate lime or even loosen soil
compaction. The high percentage of permanent no-till (> 85% of all
Conservation Agriculture technologies practiced) demonstrates this.
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Understanding
The Process of
Water
Infiltration
by Rolf Derpsch
This article was
originally published in the 2003 Leading Edge Journal and is an
excellent description of how no-till improves water infiltration.
History
of No-Till
by Rolf Derpsch
Published in the 2004 Leading Edge, this article is an excellent
overview of cropping systems throughout history.
|
|
 Wayne Smith, Australia
Wayne is an independent farm consultant in
Albany Western Australia specializing in agronomy. From 1987 to 1992,
Wayne worked with the Department of Agriculture developing high yield
wheat packages for the south coast of Western Australia, an area that at
that time could only achieve wheat yields around 30% of what was possible.
From 1992 until now, Wayne has been consulting to farmers and farmer
groups around Australia and produces two newsletters, one on cropping
agronomy and one on pasture agronomy. He is married with three kids, is a
staunch advocate of no-till, is a part-time cattle farmer and aims to run
large corporate size farms as soon as he can, and hasn’t stood in snow
since he was four!
Workshop
#1
Topic:
Yield potentials
- how far can we go?
Learning Plant
Language – How to know what your plant is telling you it needs without
testing.
 Workshop
#2
Topic: Beef
cattle production - how far can we go?

|
Yield
Potentials Are Far Greater Than You Imagine
by Wayne Smith
This is only an excerpt of
Wayne Smith’s excellent article in the December 06 issue of Leading
Edge magazine. You will receive the entire article in your copy of
the Leading Edge included in the Winter Conference proceedings
manual. Wayne will be discussing topics from this article in his
presentations and will be leading a workshop at the AIM Symposium.
Your free subscription to the Leading Edge will also feature Wayne’s
follow-up article in the March issue. |
|
Dr. Val Farmer, Missouri
Dr. Val Farmer is a well-known clinical
psychologist and syndicated columnist, specializing in rural mental health
and family relationships. His professional portfolio includes a PhD in
Clinical Psychology from the University of Arizona in 1976 and thirty
years of counseling experience in North and South Dakota. He was the
Executive Director of Community Counseling Services in Huron SD for four
years. He most recently worked for Meritcare in Fargo, North Dakota for
nine years prior to setting up an independent practice in Wildwood,
Missouri.
Besides his work with marital relationships and rural mental health
issues, Dr. Farmer has developed mediation and conflict resolution
consultation services to family businesses, particularly farm and ranch
families in business together. Several national farm publications have
carried his ideas on how integrate a business and family perspective into
a viable business structure and the communication/organizational skills
involved for successful team building.
Dr. Farmer started a syndicated weekly newspaper column in 1984 and
continues to be published in numerous newspapers in United States and
Canada. His column is carried by the main agriculture in the Midwestern
states. Dr. Farmer has just released his new book, “To Have and To Hold:
Thoughts on Successful Marriage.” Dr. Farmer has written two
previous books, “Honey I Shrunk the Farm” and “Making the Good Life
Better.” He has written numerous booklets on various mental health and
rural mental health topics. His archived articles can be accessed through
his subscription-based website,
www.valfarmer.com.
Val and his wife Darlene have celebrated 40 years of marriage. They have
seven children, five daughters and two sons. Currently they have 16
grandchildren. Through his relationships with his wife and children, Dr.
Farmer has had rich personal experiences and offers a practical approach
to dealing with human relationship problems in both business and personal
life.
Workshop
Topic:
“A Rural Psychologist Shares Hidden
Factors in Farming Success”
A rural psychologist coincidently named Farmer shares insights on farming
success from his 32 years of counseling experience with farm families. His
talk will cover these four areas:
* The ability to manage stress
* Creativity, flexibility and innovation grounded in conservative
fiscal management
* Caring leadership: Managing human resources in a multi-family
operation
* Marriage and family life: The emotional engine that drives family
farming
Dr. Farmer has a new book, To Have and to Hold on having
successful marriages that will be available at his sessions.
Special Book Signing Opportunity
(click here for details)
Dr. Farmer is being sponsored by the
Kansas Agri-Women |

Adrian Polansky,
Kansas Secretary of Agriculture
Mr. Polansky was appointed secretary of the
Kansas Department of Agriculture by Governor Kathleen Sebelius in February
2003. Along with his duties as secretary, Polansky serves on the
steering committee of the Governor’s Rural Life Task Force. He also
serves on the Kansas Energy Council, the Governor's Council on Homeland
Security and Kansas Task Force on Methamphetamine and Illegal Drugs. He
is chair of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture’s
biotechnology task force.
Polansky brings a lifetime of agriculture experience to the governor’s
Cabinet. He owns Polansky Farms and Polansky Seed, both in Belleville.
Until 2001, he served as state executive director of the Kansas Farm
Service Agency. Since 1964, he has been a member of the Kansas Crop
Improvement Association and served as president of that organization from
1986 to 1987. He was on the Agriculture Council of America from 1979 to
1985 and served as chairman from 1983 to 1984. In 1985 he was chairman of
the U.S. Wheat Associates and was a member of that group for seven years.
Polansky also served as secretary-treasurer of the National Association of
Wheat Growers Education Foundation in 1987. Earlier in his career, he
served as president of the Republic County Farmers Union and policy
chairman of the Kansas Farmers Union.
Polansky is a lifelong Kansan who graduated from Kansas State University
in 1972 with a bachelor of science degree in agronomy. He has received
many honors and awards, including the Hammer Award USDA, which recognized
his efforts to build a government that works better and costs less; a USDA
distinguished service award for outstanding leadership and management
contributions made to the Farm Service Agency; the 1986 wheat man of the
year award given by the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers; and the
outstanding service to agriculture award in 1986 by the Kansas Crops and
Soils Industry Council. In 1994, he received the KSU Ag Alumni
Association outstanding young alumnus award. Polansky lives
in Topeka with his wife, Kristine, who is an attorney. |
Bud
Davis, USDA NRCS State Agronomist (Kansas)
Bud is responsible for the technical
adequacy of agronomic practices planned and implemented by USDA-NRCS in
Kansas. It is Bud’s vision and passion that has brought No-Till on the
Plains to the forefront in educational practices, and he continues to
serve as an invaluable advisor to the Board of Directors.
Workshop
Topic:
Rainfall
Simulator
Bud will be
demonstrating the rainfall simulator during the conference breaks. A
great way to see how no-till virtually eliminates soil erosion! |
Mark
Fowler, International Grains Program, KSU -
mfowler@ksu.edu
As the director of technical
services for the International Grains Program at Kansas State University,
Mark works with business executives around the world to improve the
utilization of grain and oilseeds for food, feed and industrial
applications. Before returning to Kansas, Mark was the Technical Director
for the Africa division of Seaboard Corporation based in Durban, South
Africa. He has also worked in the flour milling division for Cargill
Incorporated in Kansas and California. Mark has written and published
articles in World Grain Magazine.
He holds a B.S Degree in Milling Science and Management, KSU and an M.S
Degree in Agricultural Economic, KSU (just completed Dec 2006). Mark’s
family includes his wife Courtney, daughter Piper (9) and Paige (5), and
the family farms near Emporia, Kansas.
Workshop Topic:
National Trends in Production Agriculture |
Peter Gamache Reduced
Tillage LINKAGES, Edmonton, AB
peter@reducedtillage.ca
Peter was born near Cass Lake, Minnesota.
His folks moved to Three Hills, Alberta, Canada in 1960. He completed high
school, Bible School and university in Alberta. After graduating from the
University of Alberta he spent about four years on an irrigated farm in
southern Alberta. He trained as a district agriculturalist in Athabasca
and spent 5 years in Sedgewick before returning to a farm in Southern
Alberta for another three years. Peter returned to Edmonton in 1988 to
complete a Masters of Agriculture degree. He worked for Alberta
Agriculture and Food in two soil conservation programs from 1989 to 1995
before joining the Alberta Reduced Tillage Initiative. Peter has been the
Team Leader of the Alberta Reduced Tillage Initiative and Reduced Tillage
Linkages since August of 1995.
The Alberta Reduced Tillage LINKAGES (RTL) program is a sustainable
agriculture production initiative. RTL is a partnership with broad-based
farmer, industry, educational, wildlife and government support. The
partners pool their expertise and resources to provide an extension
program focused on improving the environmental and economic sustainability
of farming in Alberta. No-till or direct seeding is the foundation of the
organization. Peter works with five reduced tillage
agronomists to deliver extension information to Alberta farmers and
agri-business. He assists the agronomists in developing and delivering
programs for their areas.
Workshop
Topic:
The Value of Crop Residue - Treating It
As Trash Can Be Costly
Bale, plow, disk, burn – anything to get rid of the enemy – crop residue.
In our quest to seed without interference we have likely sacrificed a lot
more than we realize. I believe farmers need to make residue their friend.
What some call trash is really money in your pocket. |
|
Dean Graumann
Dean Graumann attended the Univ. of Tulsa
on a baseball scholarship, and graduated with a Marketing degree in 1974.
For the next five years, Dean was employed by the Cincinnati Reds. He
returned home to Granite to begin farming with his father. Other career
interests have included banking, insurance, and other entrepreneurial
ventures. Dean currently farms, with his operation consisting mainly of
wheat and cattle. No-till has been practiced for the past six years. He
served on the Granite Public Schools Board of Education for 20 years, and
is currently a member of the Board of Regents of Western Oklahoma State
College. Dean is also a consultant for the Oklahoma State School Board
Association, where he conducts Board Development workshops. He has
recently expanded his experiences to motivational speaking. Dean is
currently a board member for the Greer County Conservation District.
Workshop
Topic:
“SPARC Ignites Change"
Dean
explores the formation of SPARC (Southern Plains Agricultural Resources
Coalition) and its possibilities for marketing no-till wheat.
|
|
John Grove, University
of Kentucky
Workshop Topic:
Long-Term
No-Till Fertility: What Field Research Tells Us About N, P and K Needs of
Corn and Soybean
This presentation
illustrates that it took 20 to 25 years of field work to show the speaker
(who had a bad case of "hardening of the mental categories") what really
matters in no-tillage soil nutrient management. The more important
components of N, P and K rate, timing, placement and source controversies
will be discussed (yes, discussed) with the audience. |
|
Alan Hubbard
Workshop
Topic:
Realistic
Asset Management
Alan Hubbard graduated from Kansas State
University in 1978. From 1978 – 1985, he traveled throughout the Midwest
showing cattle. In 1985 he started from scratch purchasing land and
worked up to a 6,000 acre operation. In 1990 he began implementing
rotational grazing, getting intense with it in 1993. Alan has been
practicing some form of rotational grazing for 17 years and completed a
ten-year grazing research plan with KSU. Alan floats more toward intense
asset management and multi-species grazing with sheep, goats, and cattle –
a true holistic approach. |
|
Lisa Lee, Triple L
Consulting
Workshop Topic:
Computerized Financial Records – Where Do I Start?
Lisa Lee has experience with a wide variety of financial software
packages. She will be sharing her knowledge with an overview of several
software programs including Quicken, QuickBooks, MCFP and Farm Works.
|
|
Jerry Lemunyon and
Bill Kuenstler, USDA-NRCS
Jerry Lemunyon and Bill Kuenstler, both
agronomists with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service out of
Fort Worth, Texas will emphasize the vital role of nutrient management for
no tillage systems. Often overlooked when transitioning from other tillage
systems, the rate, timing, form, and method of nutrient applications can
enhance the soil fertility to produce expected yields, while at the same
time building up the soil's organic matter. The focus of the discussion
will be on nitrogen and soil pH management.
Workshop Topic:
Applying and Managing Nitrogen Nutrients
|
Jerry is a nutrient and
pest management specialist with USDA Natural Resources Conservation
Service, living in Fort Worth, Texas. Born and raised on a cash crop
farm in central Michigan, near Owosso, he worked on his uncle's and
neighbors' dairy farms. He graduated from Michigan State University
and spent two years with the Peace Corps in India developing
irrigation and cropping systems. Jerry has worked for USDA SCS/NRCS
for 30 years. Currently, he is involved in developing training and
technical material on four core agronomic practices—Conservation
Tillage, Nutrient and Pest Management, and Conservation Buffers.
Also, he is involved with the hottest topic currently in USDA and the
animal industry: the management of phosphorus in agricultural systems.
He translated and helped publish a soil conservation tillage book from
Spanish to English for the American Society of Agronomy. He worked
three years in Mexico with USDA, developed research projects in
Bulgaria, Spain, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic, and worked on
conservation teams in South America and Europe. Jerry received his M.
S. graduate degree from The Ohio State University and Ph. D. from the
University of Rhode Island. He is a certified crop advisor (CCA) and
certified professional agronomist (CPAg). |

Bill is an agronomist with the Natural
Resources Conservation Service on the Central National Technology Support
Center staff in Fort Worth, TX. He has 32 years of experience with USDA/NRCS,
25 of those as an agronomist in Illinois, Florida, Colorado and Texas.
Bill has helped develop and deliver training to NRCS employees in nutrient
and pest management planning, conservation buffers, and phosphorus
management. He has a B.S. in Agronomy from the University of Illinois,
and is a Certified Crop Consultant and Certified Professional Agronomist. |
Jerry Lemunyon and Bill Kuenstler, both
agronomists with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service out of
Fort Worth, Texas will emphasize the vital role of nutrient management for
no tillage systems. Often overlooked when transitioning from other tillage
systems, the rate, timing, form, and method of nutrient applications can
enhance the soil fertility to produce expected yields, while at the same
time building up the soil's organic matter. The focus of the discussion
will be on nitrogen and soil pH management. |
Roger Long, Great
Bend, KS
Roger is a NTOP Board of Director and Field Representative for United Agri
Products. Roger grew up on a row crop farm near Washington, KS.
After graduating from Kansas State Univ., he went to work for then
Ciba-Geigy (now known as Syngenta) as a sales representative selling
herbicides and other crop protection products. While with Syngenta, he
also worked as technical specialist where he performed product efficacy
trials, and provided product technical training to Syngenta sales and
customers. He now works for United Agri Products as a sales
representative in central KS.
Workshop
Topic:
Resist
Herbicide Resistance:
Using Alternative Chemistry to Develop an Efficient Chemical Program
A discussion about how no-till affects weed management and how herbicide
resistance affects the crops we grow and the herbicides we use. What
weeds are resistant, how weeds become resistant, and the future of
glyphosate resistance will also be examined. |
Gary Maskus,
Arriba, CO
Gary is a member and former President of the Colorado Conservation
Tillage Association. He also is the owner/operator of a dryland farm in
Colorado, 50 miles West of the Kansas border, just north of I-70. With
an elevation of 5200 ft. and a 16” annual rainfall, he gets the most out
of his short grass prairie environment. Workshop
Topic:
Be Flexible, Just say No to Fallow
|
Kenneth Miller
Kenneth Miller is a a farmer/rancher and a
District Technician with the Burleigh County Soil Conservation District in
Bismarck, North Dakota who works with clients to design & install planned
grazing systems, the EQIP program and the District no-till program. Ken
has 35 years farming/ranching experience with his wife Bonnie and son
Ryan. They operate a 2000 acre cow/calf ranch have utilized an intensive
rotational grazing system for over 20 years and a no-till cropping system
for 6 years. He belongs to the Missouri Slope Irrigation Development
Association and the North Private Grazing Lands Coalition. Ken has
had an exciting year learning about cover crops.
Workshop Topic:
Cover Crops Up
North |

Phil Needham, Needham Ag
Technologies
phil@needhamag.com
Phil Needham is the owner of Needham Ag Technologies, LLC. a family owned
agri-business and agronomic consulting company based near Owensboro, KY.
Needham is a native of Great Britain and holds a diploma and an honors
degree in agricultural technology from Cranfield University in England.
Needham first visited the USA in 1989 and joined Miles Enterprises based
in Owensboro, KY in 1990. Phil was promoted to Opti-Crop (a division
within Miles Enterprises) Manager in 1996, where he managed a team of crop
consultants and projects from Texas to Manitoba and from Virginia to
Washington state.
Needham also has professional agronomy experience with dealers, farmers
and manufacturers in Canada, Mexico, England, France, Germany, Sweden,
China, Romania, Russia, Australia, New Zealand and South America. Needham
considers himself a vehicle of technology, moving and implementing
agronomic technologies around the world to ultimately increase farm
efficiencies, yields and profits. Phil is a British born and educated
agronomist who works with many dealers, farmers and manufacturers around
the world. He considers himself a vehicle of technology and plans to bring
many sound wheat production practices and systems to producers across the
Central Plains, to help them increase their yields and profits.
The impact of Needham and his teams work can be seen in his home state of
Kentucky. USDA data show that average wheat yields more than doubled over
a 15-year period from low 30 bushels per acre to the high 60 bushels per
acre, with some farmers seeing wheat yields in excess of 100 bushels per
acre on fields and farms.
Phil travels the world searching for new ideas and he considers himself a
vehicle of technology. His professional work experience includes
supporting a team of 20 crop consultants from South Australia to
Queensland, consulting on a 65,000 former state farm in Russia, to
managing a 7500 acre farming operation in Romania. Phil also has
professional consulting experience in Mexico, Germany, Holland, Sweden,
France, China and South America.
Workshop
#1
Topic:
Profitable No-Till
Canola Production
Phil has worked with Canola for over 20 years in many different climates
and countries. With increasing world demand for canola, he believes the
rotational break crop has great potential to help producers obtain a more
profitable long term production system.
Workshop
#2
Topic:
Profitable No-Till Wheat Production Within The
Central Plains and its Climate
|
Kris Nichols, Soil
Microbiologist Mandan, ND
Her experience includes over 13 years of
research on arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi – a beneficial plant root
symbiont that helps plants obtain nutrients from the soil. She has B.S.
degrees in Plant Biology and in Genetics and Cell Biology from the
University of Minnesota, a M.S. in Environmental Microbiology from West
Virginia University, and a Ph.D. in Soil Science from the University of
Maryland. Since 1996, Nichols has investigated glomalin – a
glycoproteinaceous substance produced by AM fungi. Glomalin contributes to
soil structure and plant health by helping to form and stabilize soil
aggregates. Nichols has found that glomalin is a major component of soil
organic matter (ca. 20%) in undisturbed soils and may be an agriculturally
managed soil carbon sink. Kris is also studying the production of native
prairie grasses for potential biofuel production and soil carbon storage.
Workshop Topic:
Hunting
Nutrients and Trapping Carbon
Soil is a precious resource
which supports all life on earth. In this diverse environment, billions
of organisms – earthworms, insects, mites, bacteria, fungi, etc. – exist
in a complex food web where nutrients and energy (in the form of carbon)
flow. Fungal hyphae, or the threadlike bodies of arbuscular mycorrhizal
(AM) fungi, are conduit for nutrients from abundant areas in soil to
depleted areas around roots. A coating of glomalin – a glycoprotein
(sugar protein) – protects conduit hyphae from nutrient loss and microbial
attack and also acts as a glue in soil aggregate formation and
stabilization. Soil aggregates are pellets of various shapes and sizes
that increase aeration, water infiltration, and nutrient cycling and
decrease compaction, erosion, and organic matter loss. Management systems
which include reduced tillage, continuous plant cover, and a diverse crop
rotation of AM host crops assist in the proliferation of glomalin, hyphal
networks and soil organisms to maintain a consistent supply of plant
available nutrients to meet the demands of food, feed and fiber production
for a growing global population. |
|
No-Till Planters &
Drills Interactive Q & A session:
Panel
Members:
-
Brian
Berns, Bladen, NE Farmer and NTOP Board
Member
-
Keith
Berns, Bladen, NE Farmer and NTOP Webmaster
Keith and
Brian Berns combine over 15 years of No-Till Farming with 10 years of
teaching Agriculture and Computers. In addition to no-tilling 2,000
acres in South Central Nebraska they also design and maintain over 50
websites, including the No-Till On The Plains website. Their farming
operation, Providence Farms, LLC raises irrigated and dryland corn,
beans and wheat and also does over 3,000 acres of custom no-till
drilling every year.
-
Doug Palen,
Glen Elder, KS Farmer and NTOP Board Member
Doug Palen
is a farmer in north central Kansas near Glen Elder. He has no-till
farmed for fourteen years, twelve of those years as 100 percent no-till.
His dry land operation averages 25-inches of precipitation annually on
mostly silt loam and clay loam soils. Palen’s crop rotation is made up
of winter wheat – corn – milo – soybeans – sunflowers with an occasional
field of more non-traditional grain or cover-crop. He chose to go
no-till to increase efficiency and better protect the soil and water
resources by using the crop stubble as mulch on top of the soil
surface. This change in seeding environment has lead Doug to continue
improving seeding performance.
-
Joe
Swanson, Windom, KS Farmer and NTOP Board Vice
President
Joe started
his no-till system in 1992 and was 100 percent no-till by 1996. His
first reason for converting was soil erosion. He has experienced
additional benefits as a result of the no-till system including improved
water infiltration, increased earthworm populations, improved water
quality runoff, increased organic matter, increased wildlife
populations, reduced equipment overhead, reduced labor, higher yields
and profits.
Join us for an interactive
discussion of no-till planters and drills. See changes and
modifications that we have made to our equipment and ask questions about
your planters and drills. |
|
Dallas Peterson,
K-State Weed Specialist
Workshop Topic:
"Getting the most out of glyphosate."
Formulations, adjuvants and
water conditioners, strategies to manage weed resistance. |
|
Producer Panel
Workshop
Topic:
For
Beginners: No-till 101 Interactive Q & A
-
Josh Lloyd
of Oakhill, KS NTOP Board President
Josh
graduated from Kansas State University in 1998 with a BS in Management
Farmer. He is a Class VII member of the Kansas Agriculture and
Rural Leadership (KARL) Program. He is married to Monica and farms with
his father Gale and hired hand Chuck. Josh has been no-tilling for 7
years and enjoys the profitability gained from it as well as time
savings and improvement in the soil. Josh is currently President of
No-Till on the Plains, Inc.
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Keith
Thompson of Osage City, KS NTOP Ex Oficio
Keith farms with
his brother Doug and son Ben in east central Kansas near Osage City.
Their farming practices have evolved to continuous no-till from full
tillage. Since Keith started farming with his dad in 1965, they have
moved in steps from full tillage, to using a combination min- till,
no-till system (called skip-a-till now) in 1973 and have been 100
percent continuous no-till since 1991. They average 34-inches of
rainfall annually on shallow silty clay soils. Their main crops are
corn – milo – soybeans – wheat – sunflowers and cover crops grown in
various rotations that are designed to lower weed pressure to help cut
herbicide use. T
-
Rod Peters
of Hillsboro, KS NTOP Treasurer
Rod graduated from Kansas
State University in 1976 with a BS degree in Animal Science. He has
been a board member with NTOP since 2002 and currently serves as
Treasurer. Rod has recently been appointed to the Marion County Surface
Water/Reservoir Advisory Board. He started no-tilling on his farm in
1996. He has harvested sunflowers, cotton, hard red winter wheat, grain
sorghum, corn, soybeans, hard red spring wheat, and has tried cover
crops such as sunhemp, mung beans, hairy vetch, prosso millet, Austrian
winter peas, and spring cow peas. He also has a 50 cow/calf herd that
he integrates with his no-till operation. No-till has been a system
that allows for; creative ways to improve profitability, improve soil
structure, increase organic matter, observing clean water runoff, and
no-till prepares the land a better place for the next generation.
|
|
Dave Regehr, K-State
Weed Specialist
Workshop
Topic:
"New option for weed management in sorghum."
Discussion of Lumax for
control of herbicide-resistant pigweeds in sorghum. He will also
address issues like herbicide application in fall to control winter
annuals; weed control in corn; tree control in no-till fields. |
|
Jack Schmitt -
Kansas
Jack and Tina Schmitt own and operate a
no-till farming operation in Scott County Kansas. Their operation
includes both dry land and irrigated production. Jack is a 1988 graduate
of Fort Hays State University, and has been involved in production
agriculture since that time. He has been invited to speak at numerous
no-till meetings and brings a positive outlook to no-till management.
Jack has over 10 years experience planting no-till and has tried several
planter attachments. Jack has planted his irrigated corn no-till since
2001.
Workshop
Topic:
No-Till Planting
This session will cover:
-
Problems with No-Till Planting, including wet conditions, seed to
soil contact, stand establishment, timing and fertility.
-
Positives with No-Till Planting, including Soil Moisture Retention,
Water Infiltration, Cost Savings, Stand Establishment, Crop Disease
Issues.
-
Tips to Make No-Till Planting Work, including Planting Location,
Planter Settings, Patience, Residue.
|
|
Quentin & Maria Stoll,
Auburn, AL
Quentin and Maria Stoll have worked at the
USDA-ARS National Soil Dynamics Laboratory in Auburn, AL for the past 2½
years. At the NSDL, their research focuses on conservation tillage
systems which include cover crops. Quentin works with conservation
tillage equipment as an engineering technician. Maria works with weed
management issues in conservation tillage systems. Both originally from
Kansas, Quentin received a M.S. degree in agricultural engineering and
Maria received a M.S. degree in agronomy from Kansas State University in
2004.
Workshop
Topic:
Conservation
Systems Used In The Southeast: Cover crops, weed management and
no-till equipment |
Dan Towery
Dan Towery is an ag consultant and
president of Ag Conservation Solutions. His previous experience includes
25 years with USDA NRCS with the last 10 years at the Conservation
Technology information Center. Dan was awarded the 2005 No-till Innovator
Award in Education and Research from No-till Farmer magazine. Dan
believes, “Let the soil work for you, instead of you working the soil!!”
Opening Keynote Address:
No-Till for
Life!”
Closing
Keynote Address
Workshop
Topic:
The
Benefits of Using Annual Ryegrass as a Cover Crop - Where Wheat is Not
Part of the Crop Rotation
Midwest no-till growers are discovering the benefits of using annual
ryegrass as a cover crop. It helps break up compaction, scavenges
nitrogen, may reduce soybean cyst nematode populations, increases organic
matter and improves soil quality. Annual ryegrass has a fit in
Eastern Kansas and Nebraska where wheat is not part of the crop rotation.
Like other cover crops, only top no-till managers should consider this
practice. |
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Jim Yager, Impact-Ag
Workshop
Topic:
Adopting New
Technologies in Agriculture: “Getting the Other Half of the Picture”
We all have seen spots and streaks in our fields but have been too busy
working “on the farm” to really look into the cause. Allow yourself to
work “for the farm” and learn the “causes” of these spots and streaks and
how you can get the knowledge to start making the appropriate daily
management decisions to improve profits in all areas of your fields,
including the spots and streaks. These areas may appear small, but they
are costing you big time. |
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