No Till Notes: 'NTOP Whirlwind Expo'

I’m sitting here at my desk watching the rain change over to snow in late May. They’re calling for more snow overnight. It has already rained and snowed 5.2 inches of precipitation on our farm this month.

The corn we planted three weeks ago has barely sprouted and laying in cold wet soil. I have no idea when we are going to get a break to plant the rest of our corn. Looks like it will be later than I’ve ever planted corn before.

From what I understand the sugar beet farmers are very concerned about their crop as well. Needless to say producers in this region are having a very challenging spring getting our row crops in the ground and growing, I’ve learned over the years to never cuss the moisture as it will pay dividends in the end, but it’s very concerning getting our summer crops planted this late into cold, wet conditions.

I wanted to share with you information on an upcoming field day in our area.

Steve Swaffer, director of No-till On The Plains, has been kind enough to share with me information and the agenda for the upcoming Whirlwind Expo being held at the Steve Tucker farm near Venango, Neb.

Many of you will recall Steve Tucker’s excellent presentation at our Panhandle No till Partnership winter conference this past February at the Gering Civic Center.

I hope many of you will take the time to join us at the expo. I am certain I will learn something at this field day that I can bring home and adapt to our farming operation. Here is the information Swaffer provided:

No-Till On The Plains Whirlwind Expos is June 17 in Venango

No-till on the Plains will host a field day for producers to gain a better understanding of the importance of soil health by utilizing continuous no-till cropping systems. Members of the media and the general public are also invited. Funded through a grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust and PrairieLand RC&D; No-till on the Plains, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Nebraska Extension are pleased to offer this high-quality educational event to all interested producers.

The Whirlwind No-till Expo will take place on Wednesday June 17, at 8:30 a.m. at the Steve Tucker farm located at 75740 Road 316, two miles west and one mile north of Brandon. The day will begin with a Rainfall Simulator demonstration followed by a discussion down in a soil pit on the Tucker farm. Lunch will be provided at the Venango American Legion Hall, followed by a full afternoon of knowledgeable speakers. A registration fee is required by June 10.

Featured speakers are Dr. Ray Ward, president of Ward Laboratories and knowledgeable no-till expert from Kearney; NRCS no-till specialist, Dan Gillespie and; University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Engineer Paul Jasa, a great source of information on no-till planting equipment and system management. Continuous no-till producer speakers include Mark Watson from Alliance and Scott Ravenkamp from Hugo, Colo. These long-term no-till producers will present information about their operations, cropping rotations, no-till under irrigation, cover crops and livestock integration into their no-till systems.

No-till farming systems offer several advantages to producers willing to implement the system. Fewer trips across fields without tillage passes will reduce fuel costs. Increasing crops in rotations breaks weed and insect pest cycles. Increased crop residue and root systems will increase soil organic matter and microbiological activity..

Each year No-till on the Plains hosts field events and the annual Winter Conference for producers to gain valuable no-till information. “We’re striving to meet our mission to be a primary resource for no-till information and provide a support network for producers”, said Ryan Speer, No-till on the Plains president.

For more information or to pre-register online, go to http://www.notill.org or contact No-till on the Plains at (785) 210-4549.