... Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
Demonstration Projects
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
Grazing and Rangeland
Hypoxia
Know Your Watershed
Leadership
Mississippi River Basin Initiative (MRBI)
No-Till
National Aquatic Resource Survey (NARS)
National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI)
Nutrient Management
Operational Tillage Assessment System (OpTIS)
Pasture
Ridge Till
Soil Health
Strip Till
Tours
Training
Water Quality
Watershed Groups Watershed Implementation and Innovation Network (WIIN)
Weed Management
Wetlands
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Leaving last year's crop residue on the soil surface by limiting tillage. Includes no-till, mulch-till and ridge till.
How it works
Leaving last year's crop residue on the surface before and during planting operations provides cover for the soil at a critical time of the year. The residue is left on the surface by reducing tillage operations and turning the soil less. Pieces of crop residue shield soil particles from rain and wind until plants can produce a protective canopy.
How it help ... more. |
... the use of cover crops after low residue producing crops. CRM includes all field operations that affect residue amounts, orientation and distribution throughout the period requiring protection. Site-specific residue cover amounts needed are usually expressed in percentage but may also be in pounds. CRM is an “umbrella” term encompassing several tillage systems including no-till, ridge-till, mulch-till, and reduced-till.
Conservation Tillage Types (30 percent or more crop residue left, after planting).
Any tillage and planting system that covers 30 percent or more of the soil surface with crop residue, after planting, to reduce soil erosion by water. Where soil erosion by wind is the primary concern, any system that maintains at least 1,000 pounds per acre of flat, smal ... more. |
... will be a more regulatory approach," he predicts. "I'd rather be part of a preemptive movement."
Drainage Water Management Is Part of the Conservation Agriculture Continuum
Grower Tony Thompson of Windom, Minn., sees his drainage water management system as an integral part of his broad approach to conservation agriculture, which includes ridge-till, cover cropping, closed tile intakes and other best management practices.
"The farmer has to think about water before the rain droplets strike the soil," Thompson notes. "The first thought is how to try to prevent the raindrop from striking bare soil. Once it's on the soil surface, we want it seeping into the ground and not running off the field, so we'r ... more. |
Using cover crops and continuous no-till together in a conservation system over time maximizes soil health and may lead to yield increases and other benefits.
Photo courtesy of CTIC
Using Cover Crops to Facilitate the Transition to Continuous No-Till
Why this project?
Using cover crops and continuous no-till together in a conservation ... more. |
... a large (12-row) planter through a field, depositing seeds in the soil while hardly disturbing the surface of the field (no-till). The field is covered with stalks and other crop residues from a past corn harvest. These crop residues will protect the soil while nourishing the new crop.
Size: 997 x 1000 pixels (566k)
Source: Case
The rows in this field have been ridged by farming equipments system known as ridge-till. The farmer then plants new seeds on top of each ridge while keeping the stalks and other crop residues on the surface of the field.
Size: 1000 x 679 pixels (417k)
Source: CTIC
This graphic explains some of the benefits of no-till and illustrates the no-till planting method. (this graphic most appropriate for use in corn growing ... more. |
The residue left on the field and the soil structure improved with a no-till cropping system may also give producers an advantage in this cold, wet harvest season.
Photo courtesy of CTIC
Lessening the Pain
For farmers choosing no-till, this fall’s wet harvest
has been a bit less painful
By Christy Couch Lee
What a year it’s been. It began with a cold, wet planting seas ... more. |
This project, funded by a 2008 Conservation Innovation Grant, promotes the use of cover crops to ease farmers’ transition to use of continuous no-till. Continuous no-till (CNT) has been around long enough that there is little doubt among experts of its many advantages. Despite the proven economic and environmental benefits of CNT, some farmers remain hesitant to fully adopt the system. In 2004, the National Crop Residue Management survey indicated that only 22.6 percent of farmers were no-tilling. Attempting CNT without proper technical knowled ... more. |
... the outlet planned in a location which will not cause erosion?
Is the diversion and outlet large enough to handle the runoff amount for that location?
Tech notes
Diversions cannot substitute for terraces used for erosion control.
Diversions must be built to carry at least the peak amount of runoff generated by a 10-year, 24-hour storm. *
Minimum top width for a diversion ridge is four feet. *
Each diversion must have an outlet. A grassed waterway, grade stabilization structure, or underground outlet is acceptable.
Establish vegetative outlets before a diversion is constructed.
Diversions should not be built in high sediment producing areas unless other conservation measures are installed too.
Maintenance
Keep outlet clear of debris.
Keep burrowing anima ... more. |
... Survey is a valuable tool that can be used to measure adoption of important soil-saving practices, demonstrate energy cost savings and monitor efforts to improve the environment. The Survey has been compiled and tracked by CTIC since 1982 and is the only survey in the U.S. to measure and track the type of tillage used by crop at the county level. Tillage methods tracked include no-till, ridge-till, reduced-till and intensive/conventional tillage, according to NRCS definitions.
Project Partners
State offices of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, local NRCS field offices, Conservation Districts and Extension offices
Project Description
The nationwide survey of conservation tillage practices started as a partnership effort between CTIC and the U ... more. |
A group of agriculture and conservation stakeholders in the Pacific Northwest is working to devise strategies that will ease the transition of land protected under the Conservation Reserve Program to no-till production system.
Photo courtesy of CTIC
Conservation Reserve Program – Exit Strategies
By Russ Evans
In the rain-fed region of the inland Pacific Northwest (PNW) – especially the dryer, low rainfall regions that rely on summer fallow – the regular calls for Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) signup were m ... more. |
Keep nutrients in the Right Place, where crops can use them.
The farmer uses real-time kinematic precision guidance to apply N fertilizer in fall or early spring in a closely-controlled location relative to where the seed will be sown.
Strip-till conservation systems use minimal tillage. They combine soil drying and warming benefits of conventional tillage and soil-protecting advantages of no-till by disturbing only the portion of soil that will contain the seed row.
Here we are using fall applied N with an RTK strip-till system and comparing it to a conventional chisel plow system.
A special feature at this site is the demonstratio ... more. |
Keep nutrients in the Right Place, where crops can use them.
The farmer uses real-time kinematic precision guidance to apply N fertilizer in fall or early spring in a closely-controlled location relative to where the
seed will be sown.
Strip-till conservation systems use minimal tillage. They combine soil drying and warming benefits of conventional tillage and soil-protecting advantages of no-till by disturbing only the portion of soil that will contain the seed row.
Here we are using fall applied N with an RTK strip-till system and comparing it to a conventional chisel plow system.
A special featu ... more. |
Phosphorus runoff contributes to the shoreline of Lake Erie accumulating algae.
Photo courtesy of EPA
Experts Dispute Study That Relates No-Till to Algae Problem
Rachel Doctor
Last spring, a study conducted by Hiedelberg College's water lab in Tiffin, Ohio, reported that no-till farming was contributing to the dissolved phosphorus that enters the water supply and causes an accumulation of algae in Lake Erie.
According to Norm Widman, national agronomist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), ... more. |
... will be a more regulatory approach," he predicts. "I'd rather be part of a preemptive movement."
Drainage Water Management Is Part of the Conservation Agriculture Continuum
Grower Tony Thompson of Windom, Minn., sees his drainage water management system as an integral part of his broad approach to conservation agriculture, which includes ridge-till, cover cropping, closed tile intakes and other best management practices.
"The farmer has to think about water before the rain droplets strike the soil," Thompson notes. "The first thought is how to try to prevent the raindrop from striking bare soil. Once it's on the soil surface, we want it seeping into the ground and not running off the field, so we'r ... more. |
... throughout the entire corn industry, the U.S. government, and consumers and throughout the world.
National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
ncfc.org
Made up of regional and national farmer cooperatives, the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives works to advance the business and policy interests of America's cooperatives and other farmer-owned enterprise.
No-Till Farmer
www.no-tillfarmer.com
Since 1972, No-Till Farmer has been delivering the latest information through magazines, newsletters, books, reports and conferences. No-Till Farmer provides valuable ideas, services and products to help farmers that are interested in any aspect of no-tillage farming.
Ohio No-till Council
ohionotillcouncil.com
The Ohio No-Till Council was formed in ... more. |
The No-Till 2011 Conference is a program of innovative speakers providing for maximum interaction between agriculture professionals ranging from producers to industry experts. No-Till 2011 is a conference designed to bring the latest developments in no-till cropping systems to interested farmers and ranchers from Oklahoma and surrounding states.
For more details, view the conference brochure.
... more. |
... Fame during the 16th Annual CTIC Conservation in Action Tour on Tuesday night, July 11, 2023 in Frankenmuth, Michigan.
CTIC is a hub for information and ideas that advance and promote conservation agriculture systems that help people along the agricultural supply chain achieve their economic and environmental sustainability goals.
Hall of Fame
Frank Lessiter has served as editor of No-Till Farmer for 51 years, since the publication was launched in 1972. He and wife, Pam, acquired No-Till Farmer and established Lessiter Media in Brookfield, Wis., to acquire the magazine in 1981. Today, the 40-person company also publishes Strip-Till Farmer and Cover Crop Strategies and has run the National No-Tillage Conference since 1993.
The Conservation in Action tour is a homecoming for Lessi ... more. |
Josh Lloyd tries to do "what Mother Nature does" on his farm near Clay Center, Kansas. That means a no-till system combined with the planting of a polyculture of cover crops -- turnips, radishes and canola -- in rotation with his sorghum and wheat acres.
Caldwell, Jeff. 2009. The great crop rotation cover-up. Agriculture Online.
Using Cover_crops SAG 08 09
This is a literature review of cover crop benefits from Dabney et al. 2001 and Dabney 1996.
Oilseed_Radish
... more. |
... see first-hand how conservation works on Indiana farms. We invite you to be a part of this informative and noteworthy event. The tour, sponsored by Specialty Fertilizer Products (SFP), showcases successful farmers who have mastered innovative conservation practices in their profitable operations.
Starkey Farms Partnership , Brownsburg, Indiana
• 8 years of continuous no-till
• Gradually incorporated 200 acres of annual ryegrass as cover crop
• Gypsum added as a soil amendment to improve soil structure and infiltration
• Tile Nitrogen outflow monitored by a local university because the farm is within a watershed that supplies drinking water to nearby Indianapolis
Lamb Farms , Lebanon, Indiana
• 84% of corn and soybeans are no-till o ... more. |
Southern Plains Agricultural Resources Coalition (SPARC)
Established 2006
The Southern Plains Agricultural Resources Coalition will spark rural sustainability and profitability through greater use of no-till practices and conservation systems for producers, consumers, and communities by promotion of market based incentives, education, demonstration, participation, and research.
Mission, Goals and Contact Information
Mission Statement
The Southern Plains Agricultural Resources Coalition will spark rural sustainability and profitability through greater use of no-till practices and conse ... more. |
CTIC Member since 2003
Initially, Agrotain International joined CTIC to be affiliated with an organization that promoted no-till agriculture directly to farmers, to increase name recognition of our products with producers, and to provide product for demonstration purposes in areas where CTIC was promoting no-till agriculture. We win farmers as customers one at a time, and we were hoping that the affiliation with CTIC would give us more opportunity for direct contact with more producers.
Heretofore we saw the benefits ... more. |
Crop Nutrient Management Facts
What is it?
It is a system of crop production with little, if any, tillage. It increases the residue from the crop that
remains in the field after harvest through planting. This results in increased natural recycling of crop residues.
Used on 38% (109 million acres) of all U.S. cropland (293 million planted acres).
Goal is 50% (146 million acres) of the planted cropland in the U.S. by 2004.
Where is the use of conservation tillage expected t ... more. |
Conservation Tillage Facts
What is it?
It is a system of crop production with little, if any, tillage. It increases the residue from the crop that remains
in the field after harvest through planting. This results in increased natural recycling of crop residues.
Used on 38% (109 million acres) of all U.S. cropland (293 million planted acres).
Goal is 50% (146 million acres) of the ... more. |
Schroeder planted corn into soybean residue without disturbing the soil. No-till helps reduce erosion, saves time and money, and improves water and soil quality.
Photo courtesy of Jason Johnson
More Acres Can Also Mean More Conservation
By Jason Johnson
As the number of Iowa farmers decreases and the average farm size increases, that can mean more conservation on the ground – especiall ... more. |
... Journal's Trust In Food,and he is passionate about helping farmers create more resilient, efficient and profitable production systems. Connect with him at frabotta@ctic.org
Elise Koning
Project Director, Diverse Corn Belt and Conservation in Action Tour
Elise grew up on a cattle, sheep, and horse operation in Parke County, Indiana, the Covered Bridge Capital of the World. After serving as Indiana FFA State Sentinel, she studied agricultural communication at Purdue University. She then earned her master’s in agricultural and Extension education at Penn State University.
After teaching agriculture and advising the local FFA chapter, Elise lived and worked in New Zealand for a year. There, she traveled throughout the country, ... more. |
No-Till Farming Systems
The highly anticipated World Association of Soil and Water Conservation - Special Publication No. 3 - No-Till Farming Systems book has been released in the United States. As co-publisher, CTIC is honored to be the designated U.S. distributor.
"No-till farming systems have been developed and applied around the world over several decades. The technology is dynamic: it ... more. |
... quality. And these farmers, who make a profit while protecting resources, share their stories and offer advice to others wanting to make similar changes.”
Tour stops included The Andersons, where participants learned how this company aids the region’s producers in applying the right fertilizer source at the right rate, at the right time and in the right place.
At Bridgewater Dairy, owner Dr. Leon Weaver discussed how his 4,000 head family-run dairy recycles manure – using a methane digester and targeted application – and grows its own cow feed on 2,300 acres of corn. Joe Nester, independent crop consultant, described agricultural technology used at the dairy and methods for improving production efficiency and profitability.
Participants ... more. |
... Crops Work with Various Crop Production Systems
By Jason Johnson
According to a panel of Iowa farmers, agronomists and soil conservationists, cover crops such as rye, wheat and clover are environmentally beneficial and with proper management won’t inhibit yields on various crop production systems, including no-till and organic farming.
At a recent Cover Crops Workshop in Jefferson, Iowa, dozens gathered to discuss and learn more about the many benefits and varieties of cover crops, and ways to successfully plant and manage them.
Research by the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment (NLAE) shows cover crops planted in the fall between h ... more. |
... catalytic reduction systems in its facilities and has implemented projects to reduce toxic emissions of ammonia, nitrate and methanol. Currently, the company is installing low-NOx burners and greenhouse abatement systems to further reduce NOx and carbon dioxide emissions.
www.terraindustries.com
INSTITUTIONAL
Alberta Reduced Tillage LINKAGES (RTL)
The Alberta Reduced Tillage LINKAGES (RTL) program is a partnership with broad-based farmer, industry, educational, wildlife and government support. RTL's mission is to be a reliable and trustworthy resource focused on increasing the adoption of sustainable production systems by Alberta farmers and ranchers.
www.reducedtillage.ca/
... more. |
... Soil test. How much of each nutrient (N-P-K and other critical elements such as pH and organic matter) is in the soil profile? The soil test is a key component needed for developing the nutrient rate recommendation.
3. Crop sequence. Did the crop that grew in the field last year (and in many cases two or more years ago) fix nitrogen for use in the following years? Has long-term no-till increased organic matter? Did the end-of-season stalk test show a nutrient deficiency? These factors also need to be factored into your plan.
4. Estimated yield. Factors that affect yield are numerous and complex. Your field’s soils, drainage, insect, weed and disease pressure, rotation and many other factors differentiate one field from another. This is why using historic yields is im ... more. |
... educational programs, policy planning and even testimony to Congress.
"The National Cover Crop Survey goes beyond acreage statistics by providing insights into what farmers want to achieve with cover crops, what motivates them to try and continue the process, how cover crops relate to other soil-building practices like no-till, and their approaches to using the practice," says Ryan Heiniger, executive director of CTIC. "We are also just as interested in the perspectives of non-users of cover crops. Understanding their concerns and information needs provide direction for developing better outreach materials, and can help policymakers clear obstacles that hamper adoption or create more attractive incentives.&qu ... more. |
The National Crop Residue Management (CRM) Survey is the only survey in the U.S. to measure at the county level the type of tillage used by crop. Tillage methods tracked are: no-till, mulch-till, reduced-till, and conventional tillage. Click here to see the tillage definitions.
Available Data
Data is available online from 1989 to 2008. Some of the data can be accessed without a password (unsecured data) and the rest requires a log in and password (secured data). Passwords are given to institutional and corporate memb ... more. |
Dan Forgey, farm manager at Cronin Farms in South Dakota, has been using no-till management for more than 17 years. Over that time, Forgey has developed a keen understanding of how his farming system works and where new challenges and opportunities exist.
The Next Step: Adding Cover Crop to a No-Till System (Video)
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During the first 3-4 years of a no-till system, the soil biology and chemistry undergoes several significant changes.
No-Till Management- Nitrogen Management
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This project, funded by EPA's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, will demonstrate the effectiveness of cover crops and conservation tillage systems to decrease agricultural nonpoint source pollution and inform producers about the economic benefits of the systems. CTIC and partners will assist agricultural producers in the Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, and Lake Huron watersheds with implementation of cover crops and conservation tillage systems on 15,000 acres by April 2013. Producers will receive technical, educational and social supp ... more. |
CTIC Institutional Member, No-Till Farmer, provides the management information for farmers interested in and practicing reduced tillage techniques. To learn more about No-Till Farmer, visit www.no-tillfarmer.com/
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... and partners
Promote consistent messages about conservation agriculture
Share information about conservation agriculture
Endorse adoption of "the ideal" conservation agriculture systems
Facilitate removal of barriers and support member organizations
Influence policy on a broad level
Current CASA Members
Conservation Tillage Workgroup (California)
Delta Conservation Demonstration Center (Mississippi)
Georgia Conservation Tillage Alliance
Innovative Cropping Systems (Virginia)
Manitoba-North Dakota Zero Tillage Farmers Association
Mexican Conservation Tillage Association
No-Till on the Plains
Ohio No-Till Council
Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association
Pennsylvania No-Till Alli ... more. |
... and which management practices will improve soil function.
SOIL BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Respiration
All soil breathes. The rate of respiration, which is determined by measuring carbon dioxide production in the soil, indicates biological activity. High respiration does not always indicate good soil quality.
When oxygen is added to the plow depth, as in conventional tillage methods, biological activity increases temporarily and microorganisms rapidly decompose organic matter.
Mike Hubbs (left), agronomist with NRCS, collecting core sample for bulk density while waiting on respiration test.
This high rate of biological activity in a system of low residue inputs decreases soil organic matter. Less organic matter degrades overall soil qu ... more. |
... owned and operated by the Hula family, living proof that profitability and natural resources conservation go hand in hand;
the Archer Ruffin farm for discussions about agriculture’s responsibility for stewardship, carbon markets and profitable conservation;
lunch at the Shirley Plantation, the oldest family-owned business in North America;
the Carter farm where no-till cotton grows successfully in cool soil temperatures; and
a series of presentations at the Paul Davis farm. These will include how agriculture will play a significant role in removing water quality impairments in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and what Clean Water Act and Total Maximum Daily Load regulations could mean to agriculture and the region.
The day will end with a stea ... more. |
... field conditions and with a wide range of crops.
To learn more, or to download or purchase a copy of this manual, visit www.sare.org/publications/croprotation.htm.
Farmers can take steps to reduce manure pathogens in runoff
Scientists with The Ohio State University and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center say farmers who apply manure as a fertilizer to their no-till field can decrease the chance that pathogens end up in runoff, which can pose environmental and health hazards.
These researchers studied the transport of Cryptosporidium – a parasite present in animal waste – through no-till and tilled fields. They found that a greater amount of the parasite moved along with excess water through no-till fields and into tile drains than in till ... more. |
... thinner, many growers are getting back to basics by applying gypsum (calcium sulfate), which helps improve the structure and balance of their soil.
Improving your business from the ground up—and down
Gypsum has been used for centuries as a soil additive. Its use has been widespread in Europe, and it is growing in popularity in the United States. Gypsum is especially popular in no-till systems, because of the marked improvement in soil structure and decrease in soil compaction.
There are three ways to obtain gypsum. It can be mined, but this method is not usually readily available or cost-effective. The second method is to reclaim and recycle gypsum products, including drywall from new construction projects. The final method is to collect the calcium sulfate that is the b ... more. |
... just the beginning, Kladivko says. MCCC plans to add a cover crop selection tool — a hands-on learning module to help farmers select the cover crop that would benefit them the most.
CTIC is assisting MCCC in the development of the cover crop selection tool. That tool is part of a three-year, two-state project, called Using Cover Crops to Facilitate the Transition to Continuous No-Till, funded by a 2008 Conservation Innovation Grant awarded to CTIC by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. CTIC and MCCC, along with The Ohio State University, Ohio No-Till Council, Purdue University, Michigan State University, Ag Conservation Solutions and the Owen County Soil and Water Conservation District will work with four farmers in Indiana and four farmers in Ohio to assist them ... more. |
Conservation Technology Information Center's Conservation in Action Tour
Join us on an unforgettable tour of South Dakota!
May 6-7, 2025
Sioux Falls
Start your 2025 growing season off right by exploring conservation agriculture in the Great Plains! The 18th Annual Conservation in Action Tour is showcasing South Dakota. It’s a unique planting season tour that will focus on s ... more. |
... in the Western Lake Erie Basin (Maumee, Sandusky, and Cedar-Portage watersheds, see map). Growers within the indicated watersheds are now being sought to participate in this pilot market. The “Phosphorus Load-Reduction Stimulation Program” (PLUS-UP) payments now being offered to growers are intended to help offset their costs for the use of in-field practices—cover crops and no-till—which yield quantifiable reductions in the amount of dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) delivered to the adjacent surface water bodies that drain to Lake Erie. CTIC’s partner in the program, Heidelberg University, is quantifying the reductions for each participating grower using the Nutrient Tracking Tool (NTT) model and reporting this to CTIC. CTIC will provide cash payments to the ... more. |
... the value of a pound of DRP at $100, a measure of the environmental damage it can cause and the cost of trying to remove it from water supplies to prevent it from enlarging the harmful algal blooms (HABs) that plague Lake Erie.
DRP also feeds plants, so every pound of DRP that leaves a field is depriving the crop of vital nutrients. By piloting PLUS-UP, we demonstrated that no-till and cover crops can significantly reduce the off-farm movement of DRP into surface waters. Judy Smith and Dr. Laura Johnson at Heidelberg University's National Water Quality Research Center demonstrated with their models that slope and soil type dramatically impact DRP loss from a field—a vital insight that can help us target DRP credits and BMP (best management practice) efforts where ... more. |
... costs like drinking water treatment and indirect ones like damage to tourism and the fishing industry.
To help drive this pilot effort to develop a procedure for understanding, incentivizing and reducing DRP in surface waters, The Bayer Carbon Program stepped up to underwrite the DRP credits. In turn, we are delivering those funds to program farmers as stimulus payments for no-till and cover crops—two practices that can significantly reduce the off-farm movement of dissolved reactive phosphorus.
PLUS-UP is driven by science. Our partners at Heidelberg University's National Center for Water Quality Research are using data from each participating farm to model the amount of DRP that is being retained on PLUS-UP fields. Based on those results, the farmer ... more. |
... costs like drinking water treatment and indirect ones like damage to tourism and the fishing industry.
To help drive this pilot effort to develop a procedure for understanding, incentivizing and reducing DRP in surface waters, The Bayer Carbon Program stepped up to underwrite the DRP credits. In turn, we are delivering those funds to program farmers as stimulus payments for no-till and cover crops—two practices that can significantly reduce the off-farm movement of dissolved reactive phosphorus.
PLUS-UP is driven by science. Our partners at Heidelberg University's National Center for Water Quality Research are using data from each participating farm to model the amount of DRP that is being retained on PLUS-UP fields. Based on those results, the farmer ... more. |
... Erie Basin—including parts of Ohio, Michigan and Indiana—can earn money through a phosphorus load reduction pilot program. The “Phosphorus Load-Reduction Stimulation Program” (PLUS-UP) program, coordinated by the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC), will pay farmers in the project area $5 to $10 per acre in 2022 to reduce P loads using practices such as no-till or cover crops.
"The PLUS-UP program will provide a financial incentive for conservation practices that help farmers reduce phosphorus loading in the Lake Erie watershed, keep their nutrients where their crops can use them, and build soil health," says Hans Kok, CTIC program director. "Bayer Crop Science has purchased phosphorus credits to provide these PLUS-UP incentives, a ... more. |
By adopting conservation practices like cover crops and reduced tillage or no-till, farmers can help reduce the effects of climate change, including soil erosion, declining land productivity and desertification, according to Climate Change and Land, a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released today. More than 100 experts from 52 countries contributed to the report.
Mike Komp, executive director of the Conservation Technol ... more. |
... I pass the CTIC reins to Mike, I offer some parting thoughts on the future of conservation in US row crop agriculture. In doing so, I realize some of what I have to say could be regarded as controversial, so let me be very clear that these are my words alone, and not those of CTIC. There’s good news and bad news. The good news is that practices like cover crops and continuous no-till have tremendous potential to deliver a future of improved soil and water conservation outcomes. But the bad news is that this future is now imperiled by rising levels of aggressive litigation targeted against agriculture, such as (1) the 2015 Des Moines Water Works lawsuit (eventually dismissed in 2017 after two years of costly legal wrangling); (2) a second March 2019 lawsuit against the State o ... more. |
... diversity of the group attending."
"What a fantastic day! It's wonderful to see so many groups working together for a great cause. Great hosts, great food, great conversation. I hope this tour continues and grows every year!"
Learning from the land stewards who share their experiences."
"In-field look at practices implemented by farmers doing no-till and strip-till. Networking with other growers."
"Great day! Very informative and everyone was well prepared and organized."
"Interaction between different groups and views with the same goal in mind."
"Getting the chance to learn about efficiency practices in development and practice."
"Interacting with people from many different sta ... more. |
CTIC Projects « Connecting People « Indian Creek Watershed Project « Strip-till Nitrogen
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CTIC, with funding provided by the United Soybean Board, updated its 2003 publication on conservation tillage and biotechnology. CTIC's new publication, "Facilitating Conservation Farming Practices and Enhancing Environmental Sustainability with Agricultural Biotechnology", explores the environmental benefits of conservation tillage practices, which are facilitated significantly by biotechnology crops. The publication, reviewed by a panel of experts, shows the dramatic improvements in en ... more. |
... in many positive ways. These include higher total carbon, which usually contributes to increased cation exchange capacity and water-holding capacity.
<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;Calibri" ,"sans-serif";times="" new="" roman";times="" roman";"="">Biological and biochemical soil properties in no-till corn with different cover crops.
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Find the following CTIC resources in the Free Download section of CTIC’s Online Store.
Better Soil, Better Yields is a guidebook to improving soil organic matter and infiltration with continuous no-till.
Facilitating Conservation Farming Practices and Enhancing Environmental Sustainability with Agricultural Biotechnology explores environmental benefits of conservation tillage, facilitated significantly by biotechnology crops.
A Review of BMPs for Managing Crop Nutrients and Conservation Tillage to Improve Water Quality reviews research on nutrient best management practices (BMPs) ... more. |
Biotech crops have reduced the risks and challenges of switching to conservation tillage or no-till practices. Since glyphosate-tolerant crops were introduced in 1996, acreage of no-till full-season soybeans in the U.S. has increased by nearly 70%.
Click here to see the data.
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Conservation tillage systems offer numerous benefits that intensive or conventional tillage simply can’t match:
1. Reduces labor, saves time
As little as one trip for planting compared to two or more tillage operations means fewer hours on a tractor and fewer labor hours to pay ... or more acres to farm. For instance, on 500 acres the time savings can be as much as 225 hours per year. T ... more. |
... about how to tie into FAO message.
Purdue University approached CTIC and CASA to be a partner on a new proposal to CSREES
for a 2-year, $200,000 planning grant. Brian will talk with Chuck Rice to discuss possibility for
nationwide proposal using all of CASA network.
Karen to draft letter of interest for Acgo; get comments from members and then send to Dave
Brandt to present to Acgo.
Still want to work together (Brian and Peter) on working paper of what research should look
like and direction it should take.
Want to work on CASA PowerPoint that each member can use to promote CASA at their
meetings, etc.
Community of Practice in support of Conservation Agriculture – Karen to resend to group.
Member Updates
Reduced Tillage LINKAGES: Finished FarmTech conference; 1 ... more. |
... it's easy to use and gives instant results that invite users to try out alternatives and ask 'what if' questions. The University of Aberdeen, commissioned by Unilever, designed the tool for farmers, supply chain managers and companies interested in quantifying their agricultural carbon footprint and finding practical ways of reducing it.
Study Demonstrates No-Till Improves Soil Stability
A joint Agricultural Research Service (ARS)-multi-university study across the central Great Plains, on the effects of more than 19 years of various tillage practices, shows that no-till makes soil much more stable than plowed soil. The study was led by Humberto Blanco-Canqui at Kansas State Universityat Hays, Kan., and Maysoon Mikha at the ARS Central Gre ... more. |
... Illinois!
An engrossed group of Conservation In Action Tour participants listens to a discussion at one of the Beck's Hybrids seed company's greenhouses.
Photo Courtesy of Purity Mason
Side-by-side demonstration models at Rulon Enterprises show how ground water appears in a conventional tilled field (left) versus a no-till field (right) with residue on the soil surface.
Photo Courtesy of Purity Mason
At Lamb Farms, drywall scrap from construction projects is ground into gypsum and spread on fields as a soil amendment.
Photo courtesy of Randall Reeder
Participants in the Conservat ... more. |
... a fantastic day! It's wonderful to see so many groups working together for a great cause. Great hosts, great food, great conversation. I hope this tour continues and grows every year!"
"Learning from the land stewards who share their experiences."
"In-field look at practices implemented by farmers doing no-till and strip-till. Networking with other growers."
"Great day! Very informative and everyone was well prepared and organized."
"Interaction between different groups and views with the same goal in mind."
"Getting the chance to learn about efficiency practices in development and practice."
"Interacting w ... more. |
... low-disturbance injection technology to place anhydrous ammonia beneath the soil surface. It uses 30 percent less fuel and disturbs the soil less than traditional shank and knife application.
“The 2510H gives producers a way to apply nitrogen closer to the time of crop need and uptake,” Bradley says. “This is a big piece of the sustainability picture. And, for no-till producers, this is great. Many no-till producers haven’t been able to use the lowest-cost form of nitrogen – anhydrous ammonia – because conventional methods of applying anhydrous can cause too much soil disturbance.”
“Coupled with Deere’s PitStop Pro™ tendering system, the 2510H makes planned side-dress applications more feasible and profitable th ... more. |
... such as global positioning systems, satellite or aerial images, and information management tools help farmers assess the variability of a field and, in turn, allow for a more accurate determination of fertilizer and agricultural input needs.
Variable rate technology allows different rates of fertilization, seeding and secondary application of nutrients. Additional BMPs, including no-till and low-till systems, conservation buffers and nitrate reducers, are being implemented. Cover crops are also being used to hold the soil in place and prevent erosion, while reducing a crop’s overall nitrogen needs through bacterial fixation.
Whether farmers rely upon their own knowledge or the agronomic expertise of a fertilizer retailer, certified crop advisor (CCA), farm ma ... more. |
... Bringing experts from an array of disciplines, from soil science to economics, to focus on carbon sequestration was a bold move to use science and markets to promote opportunities for farmers around the world.
“To create working markets for farmers' efforts to capture atmospheric carbon, we need to understand the science of how carbon acts in the soil, and the science behind no-till systems,” said Karen Scanlon, executive director of CTIC. “With that insight, we can quantify the effect that farmers have with specific practices and on specific soils, and create a fair compensation structure for those effects.”
A Working Meeting
After sharing their research results and field experiences from six continents, the participants spent several hours at the ... more. |
... a fantastic day! It's wonderful to see so many groups working together for a great cause. Great housts, great food, great conversation. I hope this tour continues and grows every year!"
Learning from the land stewards who share their experiences."
"In-field look at practices implemented by farmers doing no-till and strip-till. Networking with other growers."
"Great day! Very informative and everyone was well prepared and organized."
"Interaction between different groups and views with the same goal in mind."
"Getting the chance to learn about efficiency practices in development and practice."
... more. |
... 1 to June 15 depending on the crop. *
Food plots should be planted on the least erosive areas of the selected
field.
Plots on slopes steeper than 5% should be planted on the contour.
A plot can be planted on the same area each year as long as soil loss
does not exceed acceptable limits.
Accepted crops include: corn, sorghum, oats, barley, wheat, sunflower,
buckwheat, millet, partridge pea and soybeans. *
Soybeans and sunflowers can not be used in Conservation Reserve
Program food plots. *
Reduced till or no-till planting in encouraged.
Maintenance
Exclude livestock
Don't control weeds with herbicides unless noxious weeds persist. If
herbicides are needed, spot spray. Avoid using herbicides that would
endanger adjacent seedings.
* Criteria may need ... more. |
No Tillage: The relationship between no tillage, crop residues, plants and soil nutrition
In his second book on no-till farming, Chilean farmer Carlos Crovetto has delved into the inner workings of the soil and meticulously explained the relationship between no-till, crop residues, soil nutrition and crop production.
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CTIC Member Since 2001
Initially, No-Till on the Plains, Inc., joined CTIC for the information exchange, networking and notification of pertinent meetings. I believe these have been great benefits of our membership. In addition, I enjoy and utilize the articles and research and technology information found in CTIC’s online magazine, Partners.
The benefits far exceed the cost of membership in CTIC. What a beneficial organizatio ... more. |
... facing the agency and its partners in helping farmers adopt climate-smart agricultural practices.
A unique afternoon program of panel discussions at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center engaged guests in talks on up-to-the-minute innovations in soil carbon technologies, remote sensing and data science, and advanced nutrient technologies. A conservation showcase introduced still more innovations, and at the closing banquet, Dr. Don Wuebbles of the University of Illinois shared his deep insight into global climate challenges.
Learn more about CTIC's 40-year history, the new CTIC Hall of Fame, and the St. Louis tour in the 2022 tour notebook.
Virtual Conservation in Action Tour 2020
Making Conservation Stick
Kenny and Kay Vollmer, Ryan S ... more. |
The use of cover crops is steadily increasing throughout the United States. Many no-till farmers consider cover crops to be the next step in conservation agriculture.
Leaving the soil undisturbed and keeping something growing as many days as possible restores the natural cycles of the soils. Residues and roots create more organic matter in the soils. Increased organic matter serves as a food source to various soil organisms and increases the biological activity. Higher biological ... more. |
... future is so bright we've got to wear shades!
Membership Drive: Reach New Horizons With CTIC
In 2022, the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) celebrated 40 years of Conservation in Action. That's four decades of bringing a wide range of people to the table to advance conservation agriculture...from our early projects promoting no-till to our current programs that help farmers, conservationists, agribusiness professionals, academics and policymakers protect soil health, water quality and the atmosphere.
In 2023, CTIC will continue that legacy as the trusted source for data on conservation farming practices, the coordinator of demonstration projects, a builder of local capacity, and a partner in developing high-impa ... more. |
Membership Drive: Reach new horizons with CTIC
In 2022, the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) celebrated 40 years of Conservation in Action. That's four decades of bringing a wide range of people to the table to advance conservation agriculture...from our early projects promoting no-till to our current programs that help farmers, conservationists, agribusiness professionals, academics and policymakers protect soil health, water quality and the atmosphere.In 2023, CTIC will continue that legacy as the trusted source for data on conservation farming practices, the coordinator of demonstration projects, a builder of local capacity, and a partner in developing high-impact education o ... more. |
... and impact on our important mission.
I also need to say how much I am looking forward to seeing everyone at the upcoming combo 40th anniversaryand 15th Conservation in Action tour, this year in-person and in my adopted hometown of St. Louis. Although I moved back to my original home state of Washington during the pandemic (which was always my personal plan), I confess that my heart still remains with the wonderful “Gateway to the West.” I get back there quite frequently, primarily to tend to a non-profit that I launched there in 2012, the St. Louis Reconciliation Network, which I’m pleased to report is still going strong.
It was during one of those recent visits that I met with a former Monsanto colleague, Stephanie Regagnon, who now serves as Executi ... more. |
CTIC will be celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year, looking back at the evolution of the organization—and of conservation agriculture in America—and looking forward to the next 40 years of the organization's mission.
Over the years, CTIC has progressed from a strong focus on no-till and reduced tillage to a broader approach to economic and environmental sustainability that grew to include water and air quality, soil health, and climate-smart agriculture. Through it all, CTIC has been a clearinghouse for information and a hub for bringing a wide range of people together to share insights and ideas on making conservation farming systems more successful.
The 40th A ... more. |
The Phosphorus Load-Reduction Stimulus (PLUS-UP) Program is paying 10 growers this summer for reducing dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) loads in the Western Lake Erie Basin on 104 fields covering more than 5,300 acres. Payments average $9.12 per acre.
The program, which emphasizes the role of no-till and cover crops in reducing the off-farm movement of DRP into surface waters, is detailed in this interactive story map.
CTIC and The Andersons will host a 4Rs Nutrient Stewardship meeting in Maumee, Ohio, on August 23. A PLUS-UP stakeholder workshop will be held the following day in Toledo, Ohio. Watch this link for details.
With a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protec ... more. |
... Quality Research at Heidelberg University. The Heidelberg team will use those details to calculate the effect of each farmer's conservation practices on dissolved reactive phosphorus loading in the watershed. Farmers will be paid according to the amount of DRP their conservation practices retained on their land.
For our inaugural year, we chose to focus on cover cropping and no-till. We also encourage farmers to apply the 4Rs of Nutrient Stewardship—the right source, right rate, right time and right place—which can also significantly reduce the off-target movement of phosphorus and other nutrients.
CTIC is accepting wait list applications for future years of the PLUS-UP program. Click here to learn more or sign up.
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For four decades, CTIC has brought a remarkable range of people to the table to talk about conservation agriculture. Nowhere else is there such a great opportunity to meet policy makers, agribusiness leaders, farmers, researchers, conservation specialists, crop consultants and others...all drawn together by a mutual interest in conservation technologies that are better for farmers and bette ... more. |
Remote Sensing Technology Drives Conservation Solutions
New Data Show Soil Health Practices on IA, IL and IN Farmland Is Moving in the Right Direction
Today marks the first release of regional-scale data from the Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS), a new tool that has the potential to unlock conservation solutions for a variety of food and agricultural supply chain stakeholders. These data document the level of adoption of soil health practices for Illinois, Indiana and Iowa from 2005 to 2018. By the end of July, the same data will be available for the entire Corn Belt—an area extending from easter ... more. |
A massive new data set chronicling residue management and winter cover crop use in Iowa, Illinois and Indiana from 2005 through 2018 is now in the final stages of preparation for release on CTIC's website. The resource—the Operational Tillage Information System, or OpTIS—uses publicly available remote sensing data to monitor the adoption of no-till, conservation tillage, and winter cover crops. Data covering the rest of the Corn Belt, extending from eastern Ohio to eastern Kansas and Nebraska and from the Missouri Bootheel to the Red River Valley of North Dakota, will be available in the next few weeks.
& ... more. |
Corn and Soybean Digest:
All In On Cover Crops
Nitrogen Cycling and Cover Crops
Time Is Money
Landowners Support Cover Crops
Penton Agriculture Magazines:
Cover Crop Success
With Each Season Comes New Lessons
Stick With It
A Seed Corn, Covers Duet
Farmers Join Nat'l Study on Cover Crops
Other Sources:
No-Till, Cover Crops from a Farmer's Point of View
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... YOU!"
"I thought this year’s tour was focused much more on solutions than merely on practices and that was GREAT!"
"Meeting new friends in our business and seeing beautiful parts of the country. Great to see people out of Washington on Tour to learn more about agriculture."
"The farmers — seeing and hearing how no-till works, the media hearing our story, the government officials having the 'live' experience."
Conservation In Action Tour 2011
Mark your calendars for next year's Conservation In Action Tour, scheduled to take place in Northwest Ohio during the second week of August.
Many thanks to this year's Conservation In Action Tour sponsors.
Tou ... more. |
... relative to... Read more.
SUPERU
SUPERU®, a urea based product, contains urease and denitrification inhibitors within the fertilizer granule.
Koch Agronomic Services created SUPERU® to increase crops’ nitrogen uptake and efficiency.... Read more.
Webinar: Engaging Non-operator Landowners in Conservation
PowerPoint slides from Jamie Ridgely, chief operating officer of Agren, Inc. and presenter of Aug. 29 WIIN webinar on "Engaging Non-operator Landowners in Conservation." Read more.
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We designed this study to demonstrate differences in nitrogen rates and yields under the same nitrogen product, where the producer planted corn for two consecutive growing seasons.
We conducted this trial to:
demonstrate strip till application of anhydrous ammonia, a proven conservation practice.
demonstrate how the farmer can conduct his own on-farm NUE using field-scale equipment with minimal disruption of his normal field operations.
show how RTK guidance and variable-rate application equipment can improve nitrogen application efficiency.
show how RTK yield monitoring equipment works at harvest time.
show how the ... more. |
... Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC), a clearinghouse of information on conservation farming practices, has launched its brand-new website at www.ctic.org. The easy-to-search, simple-to-navigate site contains thousands of documents and links to information on conservation farming systems. Among the highlights are:
A searchable database from the Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS), which uses satellite imagery to provide detailed data on tillage practices and cover crops at the county or watershed (HUC-8) scale;
Cover crop insight, including details of the economic and environmental benefits of cover crops and the results of five annual farmer surveys on cover crop use;
Tips on organizing watershed groups and multi-stakeholder conservation ... more. |
... uniform nutrient distribution and provides essential nutrients crops need in one granule. It has two forms of sulfur for season-long nutrition.
Operation
Herb and Aaron Steffen, of Cropsey, Ill., operate a 900 acre grain farm in southern Livingston and northern Mclean counties. Two thirds of the acreage is devoted to continuous corn with one third in a corn/soybean rotation.
Minimum tillage practices are used to leave at least 30% residue on the soil surface.
Nitrogen is applied after the corn has emerged, and when the plant needs are the greatest, to minimize loss of nitrogen through leaching.
Currently there are three test plots on the Steffen farm.
Resource:
Steffen Corn on Corn No-till Mosaic Microssentials® MESZ
Right Source
Mat ... more. |
... Agronomic Services created SUPERU® to increase crops’ nitrogen uptake and efficiency.
We designed this trial to determine the Most Economical Rate of Nitrogen (MERN) and to compare spring, surface applied urea verses spring applied SUPERU®.
SUPERU® showed the highest agronomic efficiency of all the products compared in our NUE trials.
When surface applied on no-till corn after corn, SUPERU®'s returned $106.00 more than the untreated urea.
Take Home Lessons:
In this demonstration, SUPERU® improved surface applied nitrogen uptake.
Profits from nitrogen application increased by $106.00 with SUPERU®.
SUPERU® improved economic yield.
SUPERU® showed best agronomic efficiency of all products in trial.
|
... Agronomic Services created SUPERU® to increase crops’ nitrogen uptake and efficiency.
We designed this trial to determine the Most Economical Rate of Nitrogen (MERN) and to compare spring, surface applied urea verses spring applied SUPERU®.
SUPERU® showed the highest agronomic efficiency of all the products compared in our NUE trials.
When surface applied on no-till corn after corn, SUPERU®'s returned $106.00 more than the untreated urea.
Take Home Lessons
In this demonstration, SUPERU® improved surface applied nitrogen uptake.
Profits from nitrogen application increased by $106.00 with SUPERU®.
SUPERU® improved economic yield.
SUPERU® showed best agronomic efficiency of all products in trial.
|
The use of cover crops is steadily increasing throughout the United States. Many no-till farmers consider cover crops to be the next step in conservation agriculture.
Leaving the soil undisturbed and keeping something growing as many days as possible restores the natural cycles of the soils. Residues and roots create more organic matter in the soils. Increased organic matter serves as a food source to various soil organisms and increases the biological activity. Higher biological ... more. |
... Oregon
Illinois Corn Growers Association
Indiana Corn Marketing Council
Indiana Soybean Alliance
Innovation Center for U.S.Dairy
Iowa Farm Bureau Federation
IPNI
James Lake
John Deere
Joseph Glassmeyer
Land Pro LLC
Larry Heatherly
Michael Adsit
Monsanto
National Association of Conservation Districts
National Corn Growers Association
National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
No-Till Farmer
Scott Fritz
Soil & Water Conservation Society
Steve Bruere
The Fertilizer Institute
The Nature Conservancy
Timothy Healey
Truax Company, Inc.
To renew, please email Crystal Hatfield at hatfield@ctic.org or call 765-494-9555.
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... focus onimproving nutrient managementin Mississippi River Basin watersheds. CTIC led the formation of three collaborative groups, all including public and private members, to develop and oversee projects and programs in three regions: southern Minnesota, Missouri Bootheel and Upper Wabash River Watershed.
To help producersintegrate cover crops and adopt a continuous no-till system, CTIC connected producers with crop consultants for customized assistance and brought in expertise from the Midwest Cover Crops Council.
|
The use of cover crops is steadily increasing throughout the United States. Many no-till farmers consider cover crops to be the next step in conservation agriculture.
Leaving the soil undisturbed and keeping something growing as many days as possible restores the natural cycles of the soils. Residues and roots create more organic matter in the soils. Increased organic matter serves as a food source to various soil organisms and increases the biological activity. Higher biological ... more. |
Keep nutrients in the Right Place, where crops can use them. |
... writers, editors,publishers, students and other exhibitors in conversation about conservation. David came prepared to share the insight he’s gained from attending all the Congressional Farm Bill markup sessions and talking with key players on both sides of the aisle. Several ag journalists took advantage of the opportunity to interview David.
Farm Industry News, DTN, No-Till Farmer, Meister Media, AgWired, Progressive Farmer, Prairie Farmer and more stopped by to visit and learn more about our current projects as well as our upcoming anniversary celebration.
CTIC members also exhibiting at InfoExpo proudly joined in celebrating our 30th year by displaying the CTIC logo at their booth.
Thanks, Members!
Many visit ... more. |
... SUPERU® to increase crops’ nitrogen uptake and efficiency.
We designed this trial to determine the Most Economical Rate of Nitrogen (MERN) and to compare spring, surface applied urea verses spring applied SUPERU®.
SUPERU® showed the highest agronomic efficiency of all the products compared in our NUE trials.
When surface applied on no-till corn after corn, SUPERU®'s returned $106.00 more than the untreated urea.
Take Home Lessons
In this demonstration, SUPERU® improved surface applied nitrogen uptake.
Profits from nitrogen application increased by $106.00 with SUPERU®.
SUPERU® improved economic yield.
SUPERU® showed best agronomic efficiency of all produc ... more. |
We designed this study to demonstrate differences in nitrogen rates and yields under the same nitrogen product, where the producer planted corn for two consecutive growing seasons.
We conducted this trial to:
demonstrate strip till application of anhydrous ammonia, a proven conservation practice
demonstrate how the farmer can conduct his own on-farm NUE using field-scale equipment with minimal disruption of his normal field operations
show how RTK guidance and variable-rate application equipment can improve nitrogen application efficiency
show how RTK yield monitoring&nb ... more. |
We designed this study to demonstrate differences in nitrogen rates and yields under different application times of the same nitrogen product, in an area where the producer planted corn for two consecutive growing seasons.
We conducted this trial to:
demonstrate strip till application of anhydrous ammonia, a proven conservation practice
demonstrate how the farmer can conduct his own on-farm NUE using field-scale equipment with minimal disruption of his normal field operations
show how RTK guidance and variable-rate application equipment can improve nitrogen application efficiency
show how RTK yield monitoring equipmen ... more. |
... not mix warm and cool season grasses in the same pasture.
Selected grass and legumes should be compatible with the planned management.
When only two grass species are selected, they should make up equal proportions of the seeding mixture.
Add legumes to improve forage quality and extend the grazing season.
Drill seed uniformly to a depth of 1/4 to 1/2 inch.
Leave residues and till on the contour.
If erosion is a problem, leave at least 30% residue cover after planting.
Plant a nurse crop on steeper slopes or where weeds are a problem to get a good stand. NRCS recommends seeding oats at 1 to 1 1/2 bu./acre as a nurse crop. *
Graze or closely chop pastures before reseeding. Apply a burndown herbicide.
Maintenance
Wait until pasture is well established to graze. ... more. |
... church then board a bus to visit the tour sites.
Farmers and corporate sponsors at the sites will focus on effective agricultural systems while they showcase products, practices and technology that can boost profitable farming and improve water quality.
Tour demonstrations will include nitrogen fertilizer split-application, slow release products, strip-till N application systems, and fertilizer use efficiency studies. These practices can improve both the farmer’s bottom line and water quality. Practices shown will emphasize the 4R cornerstones of nutrient management: use the Right source at the Right time, in the Right place at the Right rate. Producers can implement the four Rs and substantially reduce the amount of N fertil ... more. |
CTIC recently received a Grant from EPA’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative that will fund the promotion of cover crops and conservation tillage in the Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan Watersheds. Agricultural producers will be provided with technical, educational and social support which will work together to create strong cover crop and conservation tillage systems that can be sustained after the project ends.
Education
CTIC will work with partners to host 18 workshops in the three watersheds (Lake Michigan Watershe ... more. |
Better Soil, Better Yields
This publication serves as a guidebook to improving soil organic matter
and infiltration using continuous no-till.
|
... thought this year’s tour was focused much more on solutions than merely on practices and that was GREAT!"
"Meeting new friends in our business and seeing beautiful parts of the country. Great to see people out of Washington on Tour to learn more about agriculture."
"The farmers — seeing and hearing how no-till works, the media hearing our story, the government officials having the 'live' experience."
Conservation In Action Tour 2011
Mark your calendars for next year's Conservation In Action Tour, scheduled to take place in Northwest Ohio during the second week of August.
Many thanks to this year's Conservatio ... more. |
Using Cover Crops to Facilitate the Transition to Continuous No-Till
Project Description
Farmer Profiles
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Equip Your Combine to Chop and Evenly Spread Residue..more
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... Archer Ruffin farm, to learn about carbon markets and profitable conservation, and to engage in a farmer panel focused on conservation;
•Lunch at the Shirley Plantation, the oldest family-owned business in North America, featuring presentations about the Chesapeake Bay watershed;
•A stop at Carter farm to learn about successful no-till cotton production in cool soil temperatures;
The Shirley Plantation, Charles City, Virginia.
Photo Courtesy of Charles Carter.
•A visit to the Paul Davis farm to take part in a series of presentations on how agriculture will play a significant role in removing water quality impairments in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and what the Clean Water Act and ... more. |
... from surface runoff and increasing infiltration rates.
Healthy, well-managed woodlands provide long-term wildlife habitat.
Planning ahead
Is the soil suitable for producing wood crops?
Is the soil suitable for the tree species you have selected?
Is there a market for the species you want to plant?
Do you need this land for crops or livestock?
Tech notes
Remove brush and till the strips of pasture or sod where trees will be planted the fall before planting.
Complete spring planting by May 15. Fall planting should begin between September 1-15. *
Standard forest planting spacings are 6'x6', at a rate of 1,210 trees per acre; 6'x7', 1,037 trees per acre; 6'x8', 908 trees per acre.
Tree seedlings should be planted within seven days of their a ... more. |
Tuesday, August 25th
9am to 5pm
East Main Street Christian Church
Elwood, Indiana
Presentations from the meeting are below:
Cover Crops, No-till, and Soil Quality, Dan Towery
Indiana Specific Niches, Dave Robison
You have heard about the benefits of cover crops, now learn how to make them work! Spend the day with an all star cast of speakers from Purdue University, NRCS, Michigan State University, CISCO seeds and Ag Conservation Solutions and learn how to use cover crops on your operation.
The Conservation Technology Inform ... more. |
... improvements in environmental quality. Conservation districts’ work results in clean air, clean water, healthy habitat and productive soil.
As you well know, it’s an exciting time for conservation in this country. Projects abound, and there is significant commitment from individual landowners, communities, lawmakers and funders to make improvements to our natural resources. We still have our challenges, but the time is right to make significant progress as stewards of the land.
While continuing to fill many of our traditional roles, NACD and our member conservation districts are also exploring new opportunities and addressing new challenges. Earlier this year, I appointed a task force to study the issue of herbicide resistant weeds and the potential impact on conservat ... more. |
... water quality credit trading. The positive feedback we received on the format and content of the workshop was inspiring and will help us to deliver three more workshops in 2009.
In September, CTIC was awarded a Conservation Innovation Grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service(NRCS) for a project that promotes the use of cover crops to transition producers to a continuous no-till farming system. Working with partners in Ohio and Indiana, we are pairing producers and crop consultants to work together to identify and incorporate cover crops into their new system. We will track progress and report results as producers begin the transition in spring. Next year, we'll offer workshops and networking meetings to spark new ideas and information exchange among producers, consu ... more. |
No Tillage: The relationship between no tillage, crop residues, plants and soil nutrition
Expands the breadth and depth of knowledge of the no-till system offers new ideas to those who are ready to move into the next level of conservation tillage systems. To order online, click here.
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Introduction
CTIC has partnered since 2010with Regrow and The Nature Conservancy on the development, testing and application of the Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS), an automated system to map tillage, residue cover, winter cover, and soil health practices using remote sensing data. The latest version of the OpTIS data are available below for Croplands. With this latest update (April 2024), the partners are now also releasing analogous data for Grasslands. All pages include charts and maps to further enhance identification of tr ... more. |
CTIC has partnered with Regrowand The Nature Conservancy on the development, testing and application of the Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS), an automated system to map tillage, residue cover, winter cover, and soil health practices using remote sensing data. While OpTIS calculations are performed at the farm-field scale using publicly available data, the privacy of individual producers is fully protected by reporting only spatially-aggregated results at regional and watershed scales.
OpTIS-based data ... more. |
... Rundquist (Regrow Ag)
Dave Gustafson (Conservation Technology Information Center)
Hosted by The Nature Conservancy
OpTIS 2.0:
New Data, Regions,
& Insights
June 16, 2021
Description: The Nature Conservancy, the Conservation Technology Information Center, and Regrow Agriculture share the latest expansion of the Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS) data. Guest speakers include: Linda Prokopy, Ph.D., Purdue University; Margaret Jodlowski, Ph.D., Ohio State University; and Ian Crawford, Sustainability Manager, Simplot Agribusiness.
OpTIS and DNDC:
Mining Diamonds from
Soil Carbon Data
October 16, 2020
Description: View the hour-long webinar recording from Oct. 16, 2020. This is the second webin ... more. |
... (methane, as well as indirect and direct nitrous oxide) are based on the use of the practice-adoption data as input to the DNDC model. Data are currently available for the years 2015-2021.
The Denitrification-Decomposition (DNDC) model was used to simulate carbon and nitrogen soil dynamics as a function of the soil health management practices monitored by OpTIS (crop diversity, conservation tillage, and cover crops). As with previous releases, all data are undergoing various forms of peer review and may be updated in the future. If you see a region that is "grayed-out," that means there were insufficient data available for the DNDC model to be run.
Explore the Cropland DNDC Modeling Results
Cropland DNDC Modeling
Data are available for soil carbon chang ... more. |
Adoption of Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices
Data are available for the adoption of cover crops and conservation tillage. Remote-sensing derived, CONUS-wide cropland data for the adoption of two important conservation practices (cover crops and reduced tillage).
Data are currently available for the years 2015-2021. All data are available at the watershed (HUC8) and Crop Reporting District (CRD) geographic scales.
Explore the Climate-Smart Data Applications
Cover Crop
The extent of cov ... more. |
Remote-sensing derived, CONUS-wide cropland data for the adoption of two important conservation practices (cover crops and reduced tillage), as well as soil and GHG outcomes based on the use of these practice-adoption data as input to the DNDC model.
Data are currently available for the years 2015-2021. All data are available at the watershed (HUC8) and Crop Reporting District (CRD) geographic scales.
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Explore The Data
Croplands
Remote sensing-derived, CONUS-wide cropland data for mapping tillage, residue cover, winter cover, and soil health practices. Data are currently available for the years 2015 through 2021.
The available data include the level of adoption of cover crops and conservation tillage practices, as well as soil and GHG outcomes based on the use of this practice-adoption data as input to the DNDC model. Access to these conservation practice data by crop rotation is av ... more. |
Adoption of Climate-Smart Ag Practices
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DNDC: The Denitrification-Decomposition (DNDC) model was used to simulate carbon and nitrogen soil dynamics as a function of the soil health management practices monitored by OpTIS (crop diversity, conservation tillage, and cover crops).
DNDC performs process-based simulations of nitrogen and carbon dynamics in agroecosystems. Based on environmental drivers (inputs like soil characteristics, temperature and precipitation data, crop characteristics, and crop management) the model predicts crop growth and yield, soil organic carbon (SOC) changes (loss vs. sequestration) andgreenhouse gas emi ... more. |
Automated Use of Remote Sensing Data to Monitor Conservation Practices
The Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS), a Regrow technology (https://www.regrow.ag), uses remote sensing (satellite-based) data to monitor conservation practices in agricultural systems, including various forms of reduced tillage and the planting of winter cover crops. While the OpTIS calculations are performed and validated at the farm-field scale, the privacy of individual producers is fully protected b ... more. |
var divElement = document.getElementById('viz1695665741933'); var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0]; if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 800 ) { vizElement.style.minWidth='1366px';vizElemen ... more. |
... on the adoption of conservation practices across the U.S. Though federal support of the popular crop residue management transect survey ended in 2004, scientists, policy makers and marketers have continued to tap CTIC's databases. Now, we're at the forefront of using remote sensing to bring back state, regional and national data on crop residue and cover crop management.
Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS)
The Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS) has been developed by Regrow, TNC, and CTIC as a method for the automated use of remote sensing (satellite-based) data to monitor conservation practices in agricultural systems, including various forms of reduced tillage and the planting of winter cover crops.
Crop Residue Management Survey Data
Since 1982, ... more. |
... in 2021, CTIC and TNC have been in conversation with a number of other organizations interested in partnering on the creation of the Conservation Validation Network (CVN), which we envision as a valuable set of anonymized ground-truthing data available to support advances in remote sensing methodologies being used to track adoption of regenerative conservation practices like reduced tillage and winter cover crops.
With seed funding made available by TNC Indiana and Corteva, CTIC led a CVN Indiana Pilot. Phase I of the Pilot had three deliverables, the first of which was to host the CVN Kickoff Workshop (hybrid in-person/virtual) on Wednesday, August 25, 2021at the Purdue Research Park, next door to our West Lafayette headquarters. Approximately 40 individuals participate ... more. |
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FREE WEBINAR ON USING SATELLITE DATA TO MODEL WATER QUALITY, APRIL 26 NOON EDT
A free webinar on Wednesday, April 26, 2023 at 12:00 pm EDT will feature key insights from researchers using data from the Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS) to help model water quality. Register here for the webinar and question-and-answer session with the panel.
Speakers during the live, hour-long "OpTIS 3.0: Unlocking Water Quality Insights" program will include:
Dr. Asmita Murumkar, The Ohio State University, using OpTIS data on tillage and cover crops in their modeling work in Ohio's ... more. |
... CTIC (north@ctic.org; (317) 450-9137) or
Steve Werblow (steve@stevewerblow.com; (541) 951-4212)
NEW OpTIS DATA FROM SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOW 2.5x RISE IN CORN BELT COVER CROPS
Corn Belt cover crop acres climbed from 2.8 million to 7.5 million between 2015 and 2021
WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana (February 2, 2023)—A new tranche of data from the Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS) tracked a 250% climb in cover crop acreage—from 2.8 million acres in 2015 to 7.5 million acres in 2021—led by row crop farmers in the southern portion of the region. The Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC), which hosts free access to OpTIS data on its ctic.org website, dubbed this week's release "OpTIS 3.0."
" ... more. |
... State University; and conservationists from USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission for a deep dive into how crop consultants can help their clients benefit from conservation practices.
Discussions ranged from the agronomic and water-management benefits of conservation systems—including precision irrigation, tailwater management, reduced tillage and cover crops, among others—to cost-share programs that can have direct benefits to farmers' bottom lines.
We also visited the Dabbs Farm outside of Stuttgart for a close-up look at the family's reservoir and tailwater management system and the Arkansas Discovery Farm's water quality monitoring program.
Click here for full video coverage of each of the presentations i ... more. |
... after celebrating its 40th Anniversary last week in St. Louis, while also conducting its 15th annual Conservation in Action Tour, which attracted a diverse group of nearly 150 participants including farmers, crop consultants, researchers, agribusiness leaders, conservation staffers, and policymakers. During the morning, attendees saw climate smart practices such as cover crops and conservation tillage at work in the field. Later, they moved indoors to the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center to hear from a number of experts about what the future will bring in several key climate smart areas: soil carbon technologies, data science, remote sensing, and advanced nutrient technologies.
About the Conservation Technology Information Center
The Conservation Technology Information C ... more. |
... after celebrating its 40th Anniversary last week in St. Louis, while also conducting its 15th annual Conservation in Action Tour, which attracted a diverse group of nearly 150 participants including farmers, crop consultants, researchers, agribusiness leaders, conservation staffers, and policymakers. During the morning, attendees saw climate smart practices such as cover crops and conservation tillage at work in the field. Later, they moved indoors to the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center to hear from a number of experts about what the future will bring in several key climate smart areas: soil carbon technologies, data science, remote sensing, and advanced nutrient technologies.
About the Conservation Technology Information Center
The Conservation Technology Information C ... more. |
... by CTIC, based on the Farmer’s enrollment of Fields into the Phosphorous Load Reduction Stimulus Program (“PLUS-UP”).
CTIC agreed to pay Farmer $100 per pound of load reductions of dissolved reactive phosphorous based on computer modeling performed by Heidelberg University, compared against a baseline of no Conservation “Practices”: i.e., conventional tillage, no cover crops, and none of any of the other relevant conservation practices employed by the Farmer on the enrolled Fields between harvest of the 2021 crop and planting of the 2022 crop.
Once planting of the 2022 crop has been completed for the enrolled Fields, the Farmer is asked to affirm the conservation practices employed on each Field, using this form. Farmers wishing to rec ... more. |
... soil health, remote sensing,andmore."
The Conservation Technology Information Center brings together farmers, crop advisers, policymakers, agribusiness leaders, conservation personnel, researchers and othersinterested in systems that help make farmers more economically and environmentally sustainable. Current projectsinclude:
•The Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS), which uses satellite imagery and a specialalgorithmto documentthe adoption of soil-building farming practices;
•Spearheading stimulus projects that encourage phosphorus managementto protect surface waters in the Western Lake Erie Basin;
•Conducting educational programs on conservation practices;
•Host ... more. |
... soil health, remote sensing,andmore."
The Conservation Technology Information Center brings together farmers, crop advisers, policymakers, agribusiness leaders, conservation personnel, researchers and othersinterested in systems that help make farmers more economically and environmentally sustainable. Current projectsinclude:
•The Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS), which uses satellite imagery and a specialalgorithmto documentthe adoption of soil-building farming practices;
•Spearheading stimulus projects that encourage phosphorus managementto protect surface waters in the Western Lake Erie Basin;
•Conducting educational programs on conservation practices;
•Host ... more. |
... whether crop insurance programs discourage growers from planting cover crops.
The webinar, recorded live on April 29, is part of a six-webinar series coordinated by CTIC over the next two years. The April program also features Soren Rundquist of Regrow Ag and CTIC's Dave Gustafson describing updates in the algorithm and coverage area of OpTIS.
The Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS) uses a proprietary algorithm to analyze satellite imagery to identify winter cover crops and crop residue levels. Data are available from 2005 to 2020 and may be queried free at the HUC8 or Crop Reporting District level across a range of commodity crop rotations.
OpTIS data have also been run through the De-Nitrification/DeComposition model to provide es ... more. |
... and technology—the perfect place to celebrate 40 years of advances in conservation
farming and the diverse people and perspectives driving its future," says Mike Komp, CTIC's executive director. "For four decades, CTIC has been bringing people together to advance conservation agriculture. Over that time, we've evolved from our early days of manual conservation tillage surveys to the work we're doing today with satellite data."
CTIC will kick off the event with a 40th Anniversary celebration on Monday, September 12. On Monday evening, we will include a sponsored reception along with a presentation exploring the past, present and future of the organization's work as a hub of information, connecting people who are passionate about con ... more. |
... get a (virtual) front row seat for the latest OpTIS research updates! Since you last joined us for an OpTIS webinar, we’ve added data for 2019-2020 and even more states.
We’ll be joined by Prof. Roderick Rejesus of NC State as he’ll describe how he used remote sensing data from OpTIS to study the impact of crop insurance programs on cover crop use. The Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS), a Regrow technology (https://www.regrow.ag), uses satellite data and a sophisticated algorithm to monitor conservation practices in agricultural systems, including reduced tillage and winter cover crops.
This free webinar event wouldn’t be complete without hearing from Soren Rundquist (Regrow) and Dave Gustafson (CTIC) as they review the latest Op ... more. |
OpTIS 2.1—FEATURING 2020 DATA—WILL BE ONLINE FREE BY YEAR-END
A new year's worth of remote sensing data on tillage and winter cover crops from the Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS) will be available by the end of December, expanding the dataset that extends back to 2005 across the Corn Belt.
A powerful, intuitive visualization tool on the CTIC website allows visitors to explore trends in tillage and cover crop adoption through maps and charts while manipulating geography, date range and c ... more. |
THIS IS THE PERFECT YEAR TO BE PART OF CTIC
2022 is the perfect time to join CTIC- join CTIC as a member as we celebrate our 40th anniversary and hostour annual tour.
https://ctic.org/Membership/Membership_Info
YOUR MEMBERSHIP IN CTIC SUPPORTS:
• Innovations in tracking the adoption of conservation on the ground...from field-level validation to online surveys to remote sen ... more. |
... partnerships that will lead us through 2021 and into our 40th anniversary year in 2022.
Meanwhile, we and our partners are making inroads to develop a market-based mechanism to compensate farmers for reducing phosphorus levels in the waterways of the Western Lake Erie Basin.
With other partners, we are getting ready to release an expanded data set from our Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS). In addition to expanding the geography and adding another year of data, we are fine-tuning it to make OpTIS data a mainstay of evaluating changes in tillage and cover crop practices across a growing expanse of the Corn Belt.
We are constantly finding new ways to share information on cover crops, soil health, conservation practices from deep in the field ... more. |
Working closely with US EPA, CTIC is taking the agency's three-day National Recreational Water Quality Workshop virtual this year. Click here for the agenda.
The workshop provides a nationwide forum for recreational water quality managers, stakeholders, researchers and public health officials at all levels to share information and ideas about implementing successful r ... more. |
A recorded one-hour webinar on using CTIC data to analyze trends in conservation farming practices across the Corn Belt is available on CTIC's website. The video, recorded as a live webinar last October, includes a discussion of the use of Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS) data through the De-Nitrification/De-Composition (DNDC) model, as well as presentations by three users of the data:
Ward Smith, Senior Physical Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Steven Rosenzweig, Senior Soil Scientist, General Mills
Debbie Reed, Executive Director, Ecosystem Services Market Consortium
& ... more. |
... the Maumee and Sandusky river basins to reduce P loads by 40 percent using subsurface application, cover crops, and buffer strips. Through educational materials, workshops, and one-on-one training, CTIC, The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) and the Soil Health Partnership (SHP) will provide technical support to farmers on sustainable nutrient management practices.
Using the Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS)—which analyzes publicly available satellite imagery to track tillage and cover crop adoption at the watershed scale—the field-level Nutrient Tracking Tool (NTT) and models and monitoring data from Heidelburg University, CTIC and its partners will create baselines for water quality trading programs and monitor adoption of the conservation practices. The Ec ... more. |
... two common challenges in recreational waters. April 21-24, 2020
Read More
The Conservation Technology Information Center
The Conservation Technology Information Center promotes, supports and provides information on conservation technologies & sustainable agricultural systems.
Read More
Latest Project from CTIC
Data are available free from the Operational Tillage Information System—OpTIS—which analyzes remote sensing data to monitor conservation practices in agricultural systems.
Access Data
Become a Member
By becoming a member of CTIC, you'll be connected to a world of people from government, academia, agribusiness, the supply chain, and the farm who are committed to practical, productive conservation farming systems ... more. |
View the CDR and HUC8 Tillage and Winter data charts by clickong on the corresponding titles below.
CRD Conservation Tillage
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... http://www-agecon.ag.ohio-state.edu/faculty/bsohngen/bmp/filter.htm#grass
Conservation planning with the Core 4 approach.
As each year passes, we improve our understanding of how to manage for better soil, cleaner water, greater profits and a brighter future. We call this management approach the Core 4. The four fundamental components integrated into this approach are: Conservation Tillage; Crop Nutrient Management; Weed and Pest Management; and Conservation Buffers. If you’d like to learn more about the Core 4 approach, call your local agronomic and/or natural resources professional:
* Agricultural Retailer
* Certified Crop Advisor
* Conservation District
* Extension Agent
* Independent Crop Consultant
* Natural Resources Conservation Service
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... not just within agriculture, but throughout the entire value chain linking farmers to consumers.
"Fundamentally, conservation starts on the ground with the folks engaged in agriculture and natural resources, especially farmers and ranchers," Komp said. "CTIC plays an important role in transferring technology and research into application within the economy. We can bridge the critical gap between science, innovative technology, and industry to increase consumer confidence in agriculture and enhance our natural resource base for generations to come."
# # #
The Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) is a national public-private partnership that includes farmers, policy makers, ... more. |
... that fits you best – Individual, Institutional or Corporate. For additional benefits and recognition, increase your contribution. Each level includes additionalbenefits through Gold, Silver and Bronze.
All CTIC members benefit from:
One-year subscription to Conservation Partners and Member Mail e-newsletters
Free access to higher-resolution data from the OpTIS Operational Tillage Information System database
Recognition on CTIC’s web page
Please identify which category applies to your business to find your basic membership fee. To upgrade to medal-level membership, add the amount in the appropriate box below.
Corporate Membership Benefits
Basic Corporate Membership
Basic-1: $6,500 - Gross revenue greater than $500 million
Basic-2: ... more. |
... Crop Interseeding in Rice County"
Stop #3 - Dave Legvold Farm, Northfield, Minn.
Drainage water management, including a saturated buffer demonstration, and SWCD's role in buffers, highlighting Dakota County's Farmland and Natural Areas Program (FNAP)
Download the handout Saturated Buffers: A new approach to water quality
Impacts of reduced tillage on soil health and a demonstration of Soil Warrior strip-tillage equipment
Download the handout Fine-Tuning Nitrogen Rates for Strip-Tilled Corn
Download the handout Reduce Wind Erosion for Long Term Productivity
Download the handout Considerations for Corn Residue Harvest in Minnesota
Stop #4 - Phil and Nate ... more. |
April marks the launch of the first data set from the Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS), which combines satellite sensing technology with sophisticated modeling to map the adoption of conservation practices on the landscape.
The 21st century heir to CTIC's long-time Crop Residue Management (CRM) Survey, OpTIS will provide comprehensive maps of crop residue management practices and cover crops down to the HUC8 scale. Annual maps and data ... more. |
Herb and Aaron Steffen manage a 900-acre grain farm in southern Livingston and northern McLean counties. They hosted a demonstration and two nutrient use efficiency (NUE) trials.
The Steffens plant corn continuously on two-thirds of the acres and rotate planting of corn and soybeans on the rest of the land. Their minimum tillage practices leave at least 30% of the previous crops’ residue on the soil surface. This residue decreases soil erosion and feeds nutrients back to the soil.
They apply nitrogen after the corn plants emerge, when nutrient needs are the greatest. This minimizes nitrogen lost to air and water.
To maximize efficiency, farmers must select the right nutrient source. A controlled-release ni ... more. |
... season-long nutrition.
It was side-dressed at two rates with a control plot where it was not applied.
Operation
Herb and Aaron Steffen, of Cropsey, Ill., operate a 900 acre grain farm in southern Livingston and northern Mclean counties. Two thirds of the acreage is devoted to continuous corn with one third in a corn/soybean rotation.
Minimum tillage practices are used to leave at least 30% residue on the soil surface.
Nitrogen is applied after the corn has emerged, and when the plant needs are the greatest, to minimize loss of nitrogen through leaching.
Currently there are three test plots on the Steffen farm.
>>More study details
Right Source
Matc ... more. |
... Time
Make nutrients available when crops need them
Time the application
Consider controlled release technologies and inhibitors
Choose fertilizer product
Right Place
Keep nutrients where crops can use them
Choose application method
Incorporate fertilizer
Use buffer strips
Use conservation tillage
Implement cover crop systems
Right Rate
Match amount of fertilizer to crop needs
Test soils
Yield goal analysis
Crop removal balance
Nutrient management planning
Plant tissue analysis
Record keeping
Variable rate technology
Site-specific management
Sponsors
... more. |
... negative effects on water quality in Indian Creek and downstream.
Indian Creek Watershed
The 82-square mile drainage area (52,480 acres) of Indian Creek Watershed flows to the South Fork of the Vermilion River, one of USDA’s Mississippi River Basin Initiative focus areas.
Agriculture dominates the watershed – 95 percent of the land is tillable, most in a corn/soybean rotation, although there are numerous livestock operations. The average farm size is 500 acres.
The City of Fairbury, the only urban population within the watershed, consists of approximately 4,000 people.
The major resource concern for Indian Creek watershed is water quality, particularly nitrate levels. Located in the southern portion of Livingston County ... more. |
Location
Cashton, WI
Documents
No-tilling alfalfa into rye improves erosion control, Wisconsin Agriculturist, November 2, 2018
Images
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... more. |
Location
Chapin, IL
Documents
No-tilling alfalfa into rye improves erosion control, Prairie Farmer, October 31, 2018
Images
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... more. |
Wisconsin Agriculturist, November 2, 2018
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... is estimated to exceed 9 billion people by 2050, placing unprecedented pressure on American farmers to grow even more of the crops that clothe, fuel and feed the world. One way to help alleviate this pressure is to significantly improvesoil healthon cropland.
By adopting practices like planting winter cover crops and reducing—or better yet eliminating—tillage practices, farmers can significantly improve productivity of their fields, reduce soil erosion, improve water quality and increase carbon storage. In fact, agricultural soils are among the planet's largest reservoirs (orsinks) of carbon. Improving soil on American croplands has the potential to mitigate 25 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. That’s the equivalent t ... more. |
Indiana Pilot Study
Ten years of tillage-transect data collected by the State of Indiana were used to verify the ability of OpTIS algorithms to automatically process publicly-available remote sensing data, in order to accurately characterize tillage practices and the presence of winter cover crops.
View Resource
Next Step
Building on the success of the Indiana Pilot, CTIC is now again partnering wit ... more. |
CONNECT
CTIC brings people together. We build coalitions. We connect farmers, researchers, policymakers, agribusiness, and lead discussions that move conversations ahead.
INFORM
CTIC is a clearinghouse for convservation information, from Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS) regional trend data to how to implement practices on your farm.
CHAMPION
CTIC helps farmers, advisers, and ag retailers tap conservation resources. We promote conservation practices and advocate for policies that make them economically sustainable.
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CTIC Projects « Connecting People « Indian Creek Watershed Project « Strip Tillage Fall Nitrogen Application
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Cover Crop Math
The outcomes of our Cover Crop Math project, which was completed in September, are still being shared widely.Corn & Soybean Digestused one of the fourteen feature stories produced by CTIC as the publication’s cover story in April. The story features Illinois farmers John and Dean Werries.
Several more of those feature stories are scheduled to run inCorn & Soybean Digestin the coming months, which includes their website. CTIC will also publish th ... more. |
Cover Crop Math
The outcomes of our Cover Crop Math project, which was completed in September, are still being shared widely.Corn & Soybean Digestused one of the fourteen feature stories produced by CTIC as the publication’s cover story in April. The story features Illinois farmers John and Dean Werries.
Several more of those feature stories are scheduled to run inCorn & Soybean Digestin the coming months, which includes their website. CTIC will also publish th ... more. |
... fits this description, contact Tammy Taylor attaylor@ctic.org
OpTIS:
CTIC is currently working with Applied GeoSolutions, a data analytics company based out of New Hampshire, to refine and implement a remote sensing-based system that estimates crop residue amounts and determines the presence or absence of cover crops on cropland. Through this technology, called the Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS), CTIC will lead the next phase of the Crop Residue Management (CRM) survey, which CTIC operated between 1989 and 2004.
The current OpTIS project will collect crop residue and cover crops data from the U.S. Corn Belt between 2005 and 2017, filling gaps in tillage records that have widened since CTIC’s last national survey in 2004. In addition to d ... more. |
... fits this description, contact Tammy Taylor attaylor@ctic.org
OpTIS:
CTIC is currently working with Applied GeoSolutions, a data analytics company based out of New Hampshire, to refine and implement a remote sensing-based system that estimates crop residue amounts and determines the presence or absence of cover crops on cropland. Through this technology, called the Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS), CTIC will lead the next phase of the Crop Residue Management (CRM) survey, which CTIC operated between 1989 and 2004.
The current OpTIS project will collect crop residue and cover crops data from the U.S. Corn Belt between 2005 and 2017, filling gaps in tillage records that have widened since CTIC’s last national survey in 2004. In addition to d ... more. |
... fits this description, contact Tammy Taylor at taylor@ctic.org.
OpTIS:
CTIC is currently working with Applied GeoSolutions, a data analytics company based out of New Hampshire, to refine and implement a remote sensing-based system that estimates crop residue amounts and determines the presence or absence of cover crops on cropland. Through this technology, called the Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS), CTIC will lead the next phase of the Crop Residue Management (CRM) survey, which CTIC operated between 1989 and 2004.
The current OpTIS project will collect crop residue and cover crops data from the U.S. Corn Belt between 2005 and 2017, filling gaps in tillage records that have widened since CTIC's last national survey in 2004. In addition to ... more. |
... and donuts at Stuttgart Public Library
8:30 AM—Bus departs for Terry Dabbs’ farm
Outdoors on the farm
Discovery Farms: Water quality monitoring as a driver of voluntary conservation adoption - Mike Daniels, Arkansas Discovery Farms (30 mins.)
Dabbs Farm: Conservation practices used on the farm including a tail water recovery system and conservation tillage, experience with adopting them, and on-farm benefits - Terry Dabbs, Farmer & Michele Reba, ARS (75-90 min)
12:00 PM ~ (boxed lunch provided @ the farm)
Return to Stuttgart Public Library around noon
Topics of discussion
The Stevens Farm: Precision irrigation and its place in a practical system. Impacts on productivity and water quality, including results ... more. |
The Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS) has been developed by Applied GeoSolutions (AGS) and the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) as a method for the automated use of remote sensing (satellite-based) data to monitor conservation practices in agricultural systems, including various forms of reduced tillage and the planting of winter cover crops. While the OpTIS calculations are performed an ... more. |
Ag Consultant Training in Systems that Protect Water Quality National Aquatic Resources Workshop National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI) Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS) Cover Crop Surveys
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Ag Consultant Training in Systems that Protect Water Quality National Aquatic Resources Workshop National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI) Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS) Cover Crop Surveys
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Ten years of tillage-transect data collected by the State of Indiana were used to verify the ability of OpTIS algorithms to automatically process publicly-available remote sensing data, in order to accurately characterize tillage practices and the presence of winter cover crops.
|
... and donuts at Stuttgart Public Library
8:30 AM—Bus departs for Terry Dabbs’ farm
Outdoors on the farm
Discovery Farms: Water quality monitoring as a driver of voluntary conservation adoption - Mike Daniels, Arkansas Discovery Farms (30 mins.)
Dabbs Farm: Conservation practices used on the farm including a tail water recovery system and conservation tillage, experience with adopting them, and on-farm benefits - Terry Dabbs, Farmer & Michele Reba, ARS (75-90 min)
12:00 PM ~ (boxed lunch provided @ the farm)
Arrive back at Stuttgart Public Library around noon
Topics of discussion
The Stevens Farm: Precision irrigation and its place in a practical system. Impacts on productivity and water quality, including res ... more. |
... AM - Check-in, coffee and donuts at Stuttgart Public Library
8:30 AM—Bus departs for Terry Dabbs’ farm
Outdoors on the farm
Discovery Farms: Water quality monitoring as a driver of voluntary conservation adoption - Mike Daniels, Arkansas Discovery Farms (30 mins.)
Dabbs Farm: Conservation practices used on the farm including a tail water recovery system and conservation tillage, experience with adopting them, and on-farm benefits - Terry Dabbs, Farmer & Michele Reba, ARS (75-90 min)
12:00 PM ~ (boxed lunch provided @ the farm)
Return to Stuttgart Public Library around noon
Topics of discussion
The Stevens Farm: Precision irrigation and its place in a practical system. Impacts on productivity and water quality, including results of on-farm ... more. |
This study evaluated how winter cover crops with various applied nitrogen rates affect net revenue and risk from no-tillage corn production.
<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;Calibri" ,"sans-serif";times="" new="" roman";times="" roman";"="">Stochastic dominance analysis of winter cover crop and nitrogen fertilizer systems for no-tillage corn.
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... through 1995 were used to estimate corn yield response functions for hairy vetch, crimson clover, winter wheat, and no cover alternatives.
<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;Calibri" ,"sans-serif";times="" new="" roman";times="" roman";"="">Economic analysis of the effects of winter cover crops on no-tillage corn yield response to applied nitrogen.
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... for the national Farming for Maximum Efficiency program (The MAX®) sponsored byCTICand Successful Farming magazine.
WinMax manages crop input data, calculates crop fertilizer recommendations, generates production cost and nutrient management worksheets, and allows sets of custom input costs to be created and used in all calculations.
Various management options, such as tillage, pest control and fertilizer strategies, can be compared to help assess which practices are both economically efficient and environmentally sound.
Visit WinMax site.
|
... Time the application
+ Consider controlled release technologies and inhibitors
+ Choose fertilizer product
Right Place
Keep nutrients where crops can use them
+ Choose application method
+ Incorporate fertilizer
+ Use buffer strips
+ Use conservation tillage
+ Implement cover crop systems
Right Rate
Match amount of fertilizer to crop needs
+ Test soils
+ Yield goal analysis
+ Crop removal balance
+ Nutrient management planning
+ Plant tissue analysis
+ Record keeping
... more. |
A highly qualified crop consultant (watershed coordinator) has been identified in each watershed to provide one on one technical support to the producers who participate in this program. These people will meet with producers and help them make important decisions to ensure a successful transition to using a cover crop and conservation tillage system.
Lake Michigan Coordinator
Christina Curell
Central Region Water Quality Educator, Mecosta
14485 Northland Drive
Big Rapids, MI, 49307
Phone: (231) 592-0792
Cell: (231) 287-8617
Email: curellc@msu.edu
Christina graduated from Michigan State University with ... more. |
Herb and Aaron Steffen manage a 900-acre grain farm in southern Livingston and northern McLean counties. They hosted a demonstration and two nutrient use efficiency (NUE) trials.
The Steffens plant corn continuously on two-thirds of the acres and rotate planting of corn and soybeans on the rest of the land. Their minimum tillage practices leave at least 30% of the previous crops’ residue on the soil surface. This residue decreases soil erosion and feeds nutrients back to the soil.
They apply nitrogen after the corn plants emerge, when nutrient needs are the greatest. This minimizes nitrogen lost to air and water.
To maximize efficiency, farmers must select the right nutrient source. A controlled-r ... more. |
Agricultural conservation systems produce good yields and strong profits while responsibly managing environmental resources. These systems efficiently manage nutrients and pests, control irrigation and drainage water flows, use cover crops, rotate crops to maximize conservation benefits and
minimize equipment wear. See CTIC's conservation systems information sheet HERE.
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A soil test of the field showed a relatively low phosphorus level, so we demonstrated The Mosaic Company's MicroEssentials applied as a side-dress (plant nutrients placed on or in the soil near the roots of a growing crop to provide an additional boost in available phosphorus) in a corn after corn no-tilled field.
The Mosaic Company designed MicroEssentials ® to allow uniform nutrient distribution and provide essential nutrients crops need in one granule, with two forms of sulfur for season-long nutrition.
The MicroEssentials
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A Review of BMPs for Managing Crop Nutrients and Conservation Tillage to Improve Water Quality
This publication will review research on nutrient management BMPs for the two nutrients of major concern, Nitrogen and Phosphorus, with an emphasis on integrating BMPs with conservation tillage.
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Conservation Tillage and Plant Biotechnology: How New Technologies Can Improve the Environment By Reducing the Need to Plow
Introduces and outlines environmental benefits of conservation tillage, while highlighting trends that like biotechnology with conservation tillage.
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CTIC's new publication, Facilitating Conservation Farming Practices and Enhancing Environmental Sustainability with Agricultural Biotechnology.
This publication explores the breadth of the environmental benefits of conservation tillage practices, which are facilitated significantly by biotechnology crops. Access the full document or executive summary to learn about the dramatic improvements in environmental sustainability and productivity over the past several years.
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Spying on Residue
Remote Sensing of Crop Residue Cover and Soil Tillage Intensity
Remote Sensing the Spacial Distribution of Crop Residues
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... values each member,” says Karen Scanlon, executive director. “All of our successes, past and present, depend on the participation, input and support of our members.”
In 1982, a group of agribusiness leaders, together with the National Association of Conservation Districts, formed CTIC to promote and provide information about conservation tillage.
In the three decades since, CTIC has expanded its focus, increased and diversified its membership and worked with thousands of people across the country to advance conservation.
Our members make it all possible. Thank you!
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... events. In addition to the outreach events, GLCCI coordinators are working in each watershed to give farmers one on one consultations to help them establish successful cover crops and learn to manage their systems to include growing acres of cover crops.
In 2012 we have several events planned.
We will be hosting a Farmer Networking Session at the Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference in Ada, Ohio on March 6th. The Networking session will be at the end of a full day of cover crop presentations. Farmers and speakers are invited to gather at the Inn and discuss the information that has been presented throughout the day. Link to the CTC conference http://fabe.osu.edu/ctc/ If you are interested in sponsoring this event please contact Angie Williams 765 ... more. |
... primary hypothesis is that the way in which information is presented will significantly affect farmers’ interest in and eventual adoption of offset-eligible practices. In many cases,it isbelieved thatthis framing effect will be as strong as or stronger than the effect of a modest offset payment.
The information presented promotes conservation tillage with an environmental stewardship frame versus a neutral, control frame, and discussing the potential for offset payments for conservation tillage or not. As noted, we intend to determine if the framed treatments will generate greater interest in conservation tillage than unframed treatments, including unframed treatments that mention potential offset opportunities.
Partner
Purdue Univ ... more. |
... think that when you try to encourage producers to implement water quality practices on their land, there’s some downside for producers,” Schafer says. “They need to apply for the practice, in terms of cost-share and technical assistance, they need to construct the practices themselves or hire it done, and they need to pay their portion of the cost-share. They sacrifice tillable acres, and they have to manage and maintain these systems and farm around them. There are significant issues that the producer could view as negative, yet these systems are largely for an off-farm, downstream benefit to the public.”
However, he says, by providing credits for these systems, producers may be more likely to jump on board.
“In order to encourage these pr ... more. |
Cover Crops and Conservation Tillage Reduce NPS Pollution
Project Description
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By facilitating the switch to conservation tillage, biotech crops have helped dramatically reduce soil erosion and water pollution, increase carbon sequestration, and lower the use of crop protection chemicals by millions of pounds per year.
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CTIC's new publication, Facilitating Conservation Farming Practices and Enhancing Environmental Sustainability with Agricultural Biotechnology, explores the breadth of the environmental benefits of conservation tillage practices, which are facilitated significantly by biotechnology crops. Access the full document and executive summary to learn about the dramatic improvements in environmental sustainability and productivity over the past several years.
According to Dr. Norman Borlaug, the father of the Green Revolution, farmers must produce more food in the next 50 years than has been produced in the pa ... more. |
Conservation Tillage Types - over 30% cover after planting..more
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... that allow for better control, with minimum risk to the environment. Resistant plants, cultural controls, soil amendments, beneficial insects, natural enemies, barriers, physical treatments, behavioral disruptants, biological and conventional pesticides are some of these management strategies.
Increases Profits
Inputs such as mechanical cultivation, pesticides, fertilizers and tillage trips cost money. By using best management practices to apply these inputs when they are actually needed, growers can reduce costs. Weed and pest management can help match the best method of control with the optimum time to maximize benefits of the control. Thus, weed and pest management can improve the bottom line for growers.
Reduces Risks
Weed and pest management results in fewe ... more. |
... think that when you try to encourage producers to implement water quality practices on their land, there’s some downside for producers,” Schafer says. “They need to apply for the practice, in terms of cost-share and technical assistance, they need to construct the practices themselves or hire it done, and they need to pay their portion of the cost-share. They sacrifice tillable acres, and they have to manage and maintain these systems and farm around them. There are significant issues that the producer could view as negative, yet these systems are largely for an off-farm, downstream benefit to the public.”
However, he says, by providing credits for these systems, producers may be more likely to jump on board.
“In order to encourage these produc ... more. |
Farming with row patterns nearly level around the hill—not up and down hill.
How it works
Crop row ridges built by tilling and/or planting on the contour create hundreds of small dams. These ridges or dams slow water flow and increase infiltration which reduces erosion.
How it helps
Contouring can reduce soil erosion by as much as 50% from up and down hill farming. *
By reducing sediment and runoff, and increasing water infiltration, contouring promotes better water quality.
Planning a ... more. |
Research & Technology Briefs
Calculating Economic Returns for Conservation Tillage and Cotton
Scientists at the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have improved the precision of calculating the costs and benefits of using conservation tillage in cotton production.
Learn more at this web site: www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/090317.htm.
EPA Announces Video Contest
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will award $2,500 to the winning video that ... more. |
CTIC's new publication, Facilitating Conservation Farming Practices and Enhancing Environmental Sustainability with Agricultural Biotechnology, explores the breadth of the environmental benefits of conservation tillage practices, which are facilitated significantly by biotechnology crops. Access the full document and executive summary to learn about the dramatic improvements in environmental sustainability and productivity over the past several years.
According to Dr. Norman Borlaug, the father of the Green Revolution, farmers must produce more food in the next 50 years than has been produced in the pas ... more. |
... feet beyond that area. *
Don't plant trees on the south or east side of a road. At mature height
the trees will cast a shadow and prolong icy road conditions. *
Keep plantings 20 to 30 feet away from phone or utility lines.
Plant trees according to spacing recommendations for the species.
Do not plant over septic leach fields.
Maintenance
Control competing vegetation with tillage or herbicides before planting and for the first three years after planting.
Fence livestock out.
Inspect regularly to help control damage.
* Check local recommendations.
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... acres. *
Build the basin large enough to control the runoff from a 10-year storm without overtopping.
Install a tile or infiltration outlet. *
Use fill material free if sod, roots, frozen materials and stones larger than 6 inches in diameter. It should also have correct moisture content
for adequate compaction.
Spacing for water and sediment control basins depends on the land slope, tillage and management system. Consult NRCS for recommended
spacing.
Maintenance
Reseed and fertilize as needed to maintain vegetative cover.
Check the basin after each large storm, and make any needed repairs.
* Check local recommendations.
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... nurse crop, temporary cover or mulching may be necessary until permanent cover is established.
Maintenance
Lift implements out of the ground and shut off spray equipment when crossing.
Don't use the waterway as a roadway.
Fertilize as needed.
Mow periodically, but wait until July 15 so young birds have a chance to leave the nest. *
Maintain the width of the grass area when tilling surrounding fields.
Avoid planting end rows along the waterway. This prevents a new gully forming on the outside edges of the waterway.
* Check for local recommendations.
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... not allow cover crops to grow large enough to survive the winter. *
Seed from the end of August until mid-September. *
Cover crops may be air seeded prior to harvesting soybeans and other crops, or seeded conventionally after silage harvest.
Many crops can be used for cover crops. Cereal rye is common.
Kill cover crops in the spring. Mowing or herbicide application is acceptable. Tillage is not recommended because it will bury residue.
Early kill is important to reduce the risk of depleting moisture needed for the grain crop.
Legume cover crops add nitrogen to the soil, providing a low-cost fertilizer for grain crops.
Follow the NRCS recommended seeding rates for the cover crop you select: *
Crop lb./ac.
Oats 70
Cereal rye 90
Winter wheat 90
Alfalfa 12
Sweet ... more. |
Weed & Pest Management (IPM) Benefits
Increases Profits
Inputs such as mechanical cultivation, pesticides, fertilizers and tillage costs money. By using best management practices to apply these inputs when they are actually needed, growers can reduce costs. Weed and pest management can help schedule required controls at the right time to maximize the benefits of the practice. Weed and pest management can improve the bottom line for growers.
Reduces Risks
Weed and pest management results in fewer pesticide applicat ... more. |
... than abundant food, fiber and energy. They also expect agriculture to protect air, soil, water and wildlife.
What do farmers need to do?
Core 4 Conservation farmers all strive toward these goals and will achieve the results in the best way possible for their particular land and management abilities. Four of the key systems likely to be involved crop production include:
Conservation Tillage
Crop Nutrient Management
Pest Management (IPM)
Conservation Buffers
What is different about this?
Core 4 Conservation goes beyond talking about what agriculture is doing to protect the environment. It is a public way of showing that agriculture is taking responsibility to build on the environmentally sound management practices already used on the farm. This will be done by tracki ... more. |
Conservation Tillage Systems and Management Handbook
The 29 chapters not only cover a broad range of topics, but the authors represent all regions of the United States. The right book for those with a basic understanding of conservation tillage who want to expand their technical knowledge.
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Georgia Conservation Tillage Alliance
The mission of the Georgia Conservation Tillage Alliance is to promote the adoption of conservation tillage and other economically viable and environmentally sound agricultural and natural resource management practices through research, education, and communication.
Contact Information
www.gcta-ga.org
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Established 1998
The purpose of the Conservation Tillage Workgroup is to 1) develop knowledge and exchange information on conservation tillage production systems, 2) coordinate related research and extension programs, 3) respond to needs for information on reduced tillage production alternatives, and 4) plan and conduct statewide and regional conferences, workshops and training demonstrations as well as produce UC Division of Agriculture and Natural ... more. |
Established 1994
Reduced Tillage LINKAGES (RTL) is an extension organization that focuses on increasing the adoption of sustainable production systems, based on reduced tillage, by Alberta farmers and ranchers. The program is a partnership with broad-based farmer, industry, educational, wildlife, and government support and employs five agronomists.
Mission, Goals and Contact Information
Mission Statement:
To be th ... more. |
... of manure. They’ve designed and built application equipment to deliver manure to the soil as directly and odor-free as possible, with minimal disturbance of surface crop residues. When Dave and Chris get going, they can cover 6 to 11 acres an hour, delivering as much as 7,500 gallons of manure per acre at up to 3.5 mph.
On a 22-foot toolbar, they mounted heavy Genesis Tillage aeration tines at a 7-degree offset in front of huge nozzles to create what Dave Beard calls a “poke, lift, squirt” surface-application system. On another toolbar, the family mounted 11 straight coulters on 22-inch centers, each followed by a 12-inch Dietrich sweep with an injector. The result: quick, accurate placement of manure 4 to 6 inches below the soil surface.
... more. |
Three thousand cows in Tillamook, Ore., power 150 homes with their manure, collected and processed through the Port of Tillamook Bay’s community digester. Leftover liquid is returned to participating farms for land application.
Photo courtesy of Steve Werblow
Anaerobic Digesters: A Community Approach
by Steve Werblow
Three thousand cows in Till ... more. |
Agricultural biotechnology delivers more than just streamlined pest management options or the promise of healthier, higher quality crops. Biotech-derived crops allow growers to adopt sustainable farming practices ranging from conservation tillage to integrated pest management. Those practices protect soil, water and air quality and allow producers to sustain our natural resources as well as our lives and lifestyles.
The Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC), with funding from the United Soybean Board, has produced Facilitating Conservation Farming Practices and Enhancing Environmental Sustainability with Agricultural B ... more. |
We live our values by making sustainability goals part of everything we do throughout the soybean lifecycle - from soil to seed to marketplace. Our environmental stewardship programs encourage reduced tillage as well as other tactics to improve energy efficiency, water conservation, water and air quality, and a variety of best management practices. |
