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 Kris Nichols
is a Soil
Microbiologist Mandan, ND and 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.
Kris has become one of the most popular speakers at the No-Till On The
Plains Winter Conference because of her ability to take scientific
concepts and to apply them and teach them to producers. 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.
Glomalin - What Is It
. . . and What Does It Do?
 Ray
Ward is president and co-owner of Ward
Laboratories, Inc. since 1983. He holds numerous memberships
in scientific and honorary academic societies and organizations. His
goals for agriculture and agronomy are to help production agriculture use
its resources as efficiently as possible, to provide information and data
for developing the best use of soil and water resources while maintaining
environmental quality, to be involved in “value-added” agriculture, and to
provide accurate laboratory data for managing production enterprises.
 Paul
J. Jasa serves
as an Extension Engineer, University of Nebraska. Paul develops
and conduct educational programs related to No-till equipment and
system management. He has been
working with planting equipment and tillage system evaluation at the
University since 1978. With the experiences gained from research and
Extension activities, he has become a good source of information in the
Midwest on No-till planting equipment and system management. If there is a
mistake to be made with No-till, he has either made it himself or has seen
it done. More importantly, he has learned from those mistakes and
wants to share that information in presentations that stress the systems
approach and the long-term benefits of No-till.
 Mark
Watson
Mark farms 3,500 acres
with his brother Bruce 10 miles north of Alliance, Nebraska. His farm has
been in the family for approximately 115 years so Mark considers himself
definitely born and bred to farm. They have been completely continuous
No-till since 1994. Their farm is dryland and irrigated, raising wheat,
corn, pinto beans, garbanzo beans, proso millet. Mark is married to
Denise and has a son Jacob and daughter Hannah. Bruce and Mark have been
selected as Master Conservationists for the state of Nebraska and will be
receiving the award in September 2007. Mark Watson also serves as the
No-till education coordinator for Western Nebraska.
 Dan Gillespie
(Rainfall Simulator)
Dan serves as the Nebraska NRCS No-till
Specialist in the Battle Creek Field Office. Dan has been thirty-three years in
irrigated and dryland cash grain corn/soybean operation with cash wheat grain
crop for the first time in 2007. He first tried No-till corn into soybeans in
1987, and evolved to a Continuous No-till System on all acres in 1991. Dan’s
cropland is predominantly Nora Crofton silty clay loam soils on 4 to 16%
slopes. Long term CNT has increased biological activity in soils to the
point where he felt that the residue produced by corn/soybeans alone
was not sufficient to protect soils from the severe 4 to 6 inch
rainfall events. Any erosion is too much erosion! In 2005
Dan incorporated cover crops following the soybean crop to increase
erosion control and build soil organic matter. Cereal rye has
shown to be the best biomass producer but winter wheat provides him
with the option of a cover or cash crop. In fall 2006 he tried
aerially seeded rye for the first time.
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8:00
a.m. Registration
8:45
a.m. Welcome
9:00
a.m. In The Field Learning
Concurrent Sessions
(everyone will attend both
sessions)
9:15
a.m. Rainfall
Simulator / Soil Quality
Paul Jasa, Extension
Engineer, UNL Extension
Dan Gillespie,
NRCS Nebraska No-Till Specialist
Kathy Buttle, NRCS,
Conservationist, Scottsbluff
10:45 a.m. No-till Soil pit
Dr. Ray Ward, Owner, Ward Laboratories
Paul Jasa, Extension Engineer, UNL Extension
Dr. Kristine Nichols,
Soil
Microbiologist, ARS, Mandan, ND
12:00 p.m. Lunch /
afternoon program at American Legion Hall, Alliance,
NE
Interaction of
Microbes and Cropping Systems –
Kristine
Nichols,
Soil Microbiologist, ARS, Mandan, ND
Cropping Systems –
Mark Watson,
Panhandle No-till Educator
Importance of Stand
Establishment/No-till Equipment –
Paul Jasa
Sponsored in part by:
Brent Carlson - Exapta Solutions
PO
Box 26 Courtland, KS 66939
785-820-8000
Email:
sales@exapta.com
Website: www.exapta.com
21st Century Equipment
1520 W. 10th P.O. Box 739
Alliance, NE 69301 888-762-5870
Simplot
1610 CR 65 Alliance, NE 69301
308-762-7110
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Three soil pits were available for viewing, and
producers were able to actually get down in the pit and examine the
soil along with expert speakers NRCS National Agronomist Mike Hubbs,
Canadian soil scientist Jill Clapperton, Dr. Ray Ward of Ward Labs,
and Paul Jasa of the University of Nebraska/Lincoln.
Fullerton, NE 2006 |
Fullerton, NE 2006 |
Almost
300 producers attended this day-long event.
Fullerton, NE 2006 |
Fullerton, NE 2006 |
"The Whirlwind
Expo was a great opportunity for growers to interact in a casual
atmosphere with people who have no till experience and know-how, and
to learn in a hands-on way how no tillage improves soil structure,
water and air infiltration, and creates that great habitat for both
the crop plants and the soil critters."
Dr. Jill Clapperton
Fullerton, NE 2006 |
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Marion, KS 2006 |
Marion, KS 2006 |
Marion, KS 2006 |
Marion, KS 2006 |
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Ray Ward shows Keith and Brian Berns the benefits of No-till soil
structure. Bladen, NE 2007 |
Dryland corn No-tilled into wheat stubble
Bladen, NE 2007 |
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Dryland corn No-tilled into sod
Bladen, NE 2007 |
Double crop soybeans (planted 6/27) into irrigated wheat stubble.
Wheat made 90 bu and beans made 45 bu......
Bladen, NE 2007 |
Pender, NE 2007 |
Pender, NE 2007 |
Pender, NE 2007 |
Pender, NE 2007 |
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