14th Annual No-till On The Plains Winter Conference

2010 Conference Speakers

Dwayne Beck, Dakota Lakes Research Farm
  Conference Closing Address:  WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM
 Dwayne’s presentation is based on a list of twelve problems identified by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations regarding the elements that prevented more wide-spread adoption of no-till in developing countries.  Dwayne feels  that the problems are much the same in the U.S., and that  this is an interesting philosophical examination of what is happening in our country.  Beck will examine some of the constraints as they exist in the U.S. and other parts of the world and propose potential courses of action needed to diminish them.

Breakout session:  Tailoring Cropping Intensity to Your Soils and Climate

Research Manager of Dakota Lakes Research Farm in Pierre, South Dakota, Dr. Dwayne Beck oversees varied long-term applied research projects as well as day-to-day management of the farm.  Dwayne has lead hundreds of guided tours through his continuous no-till dryland and irrigated crop plots, sharing beneficial information about rotations, soil biology, nutrient cycling as well as profitability. 

• Banking Nutrients by Dwane Beck (Leading Edge 2009)

• Cropping Strategies In Semi-Arid Climates by Dwayne Beck (Leading Edge 2004)

• Fertility Placement  by Dwayne Beck  (Leading Edge 2001)

• Dakota Lakes Research Farm

João Carlos (Juca) de Moraes Sá

Keep the Soil Permanently Covered for Carbon Sequestration, Soil Quality and Crop Profitability

The baseline of no-tillage is the integration of biological cycles that provides the functioning of soil as the source for sustainable development. Understanding the cycles and their association with plant growth allows us to develop management strategies combining different plants for greater diversification, greater profitability and contributed to greater mitigation GHG.

Hailing from Ponta Grossa, Brazil, Juca spoke at the 2004 Winter Conference on carbon sequestration, and we are privileged to have him with us again this year.  He has experienced considerable no-tillage recognition in Brazil.  Professor de Moraes Sá will share his experience in the research line – soil fertility management and organic matter dynamics. 

Dave Brandt, No-till producer -Carroll, OH
Implementing Cover Crops

David Brandt has fine-tuned his approach for over 30 years so his soils have more tilth, more organic matter, and less compaction.  He farms about 2,000 acres divided into thirds of corn, soybeans, and winter wheat. He switched to no-till farming in 1971, and he started experimenting with cover crops in 1979. He liked what he saw, and in the 1980’s expanded and experimented with a variety of cover crops to improve soil structure, add nutrients, and increase yield for the next crop in the rotation.

 "Free Fertilizer" - A magazine article about Dave Brandt's cover crop experiences

More Dave Brandt cover crop pictures

Lyle Frees, NRCS - Salina, KS     Loren Frees, NRCS - KS

Rainfall Simulator Demonstration

Lyle is native Kansan.  He was born and raised on a wheat, milo and cattle farm in central Kansas.  After graduating from Fort Hays State University, he began working for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly SCS).  Lyle has worked at several locations in central and western Kansas as District Conservationist of NRCS.  Lyle currently is a Resource Conservationist at the NRCS State Office in Salina.
 

Loren H. Frees has been with the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Kansas as a Resource Conservationist for over 30 years.  He received his B.S. in Agriculture at Fort Hays State University in 1978.  One of his main jobs is working with crop residue to protect soils from both water and wind erosion.

The Rainfall Simulator

Gail Fuller, Producer - Emporia, KS
  Fuller Farms – Where We Feed Billions Daily

Gail will follow up his 2008 presentation with updates on his oat/pea successes...and failures. He will also discuss his on-going move to bring cattle into his rotations. Gail farms a wide array of ground with soils ranging from Reading and Ivan to Kenoma and Martin.   

Gail Fuller has been experimenting with no-till since the mid-1980’s and has been has been 100% no-till since 1995.  He dryland farms on loams and silty loams with approximately 32” of annual rainfall.  Gail owns a small feedlot and is starting to incorporate livestock, intensive grazing, and cocktails into his no-till system.  In his presentation he will discuss cover crops and his experiences with a wide variety of them that he has tried over the past 10 years.   Gail has been president of Flint Hills Beef Hills Fest three times and has served on the board for 17 years.  His son and daughter are currently students at KSU, and that consumes quite a bit of his spare time. 

Paul Jasa, University of Nebraska - Lincoln, No-till Expert
   No-till Residue and Equipment Management
No-till is far more than just planting a crop without tillage.  It's managing residue, equipment, crop rotations, the soil system, and more to take full advantage of the no-till system.  It's the residue that makes it work, conserving soil and water while feeding the soil system.

Paul serves as an Extension Engineer, University of Nebraska.  Paul develops and conduct educational programs related to No-till equipment and system management.  He has been working with planting equipment and tillage system evaluation at the University since 1978.  With the experiences gained from research and Extension activities, he has become a good source of information in the Midwest on No-till planting equipment and system management. If there is a mistake to be made with No-till, he has either made it himself or has seen it done.  More importantly, he has learned from those mistakes and wants to share that information in presentations that stress the systems approach and the long-term benefits of No-till.

Rogers Memorial Farm

Tips for No-tilling Corn on Corn

Crop Watch website

Dietrich Kastens, Producer - Herndon, KS                  www.kastensinc.com
Adopting Technology in Modern Agriculture

After receiving an M.A. in Geography from the University of Kansas in 2000 Dietrich and his family moved to NW Kansas to join the family farm.  Dietrich works with his father and uncle in a modern, 100% notill operation growing wheat, corn, milo, soybeans, alfalfa and peas.  GIS and machine control systems are heavily used on the farm today as well as modern communication tools.  Dietrich and his wife live in Atwood, KS and have three children ages nine, seven and two.

Jimmy Kinder, Producer - Walters, Oklahoma

  When Grazing is More than Plan B: a NT Stocker Cattle Perspective

Jimmy W. Kinder is a 4th generation farmer/rancher from Cotton County Oklahoma, which is 25 miles south of Lawton.  He, his father and brother control 5000 crop acres and 2500 acres of grass.  For 32 years, his primary business enterprises are stocker cattle and dual purpose wheat. The last 11 years using 100% NT practices and in more recent years, winter canola, sunflowers, and grain sorghum have been included. 

An early adopter of no-till production in southwest Oklahoma, Jimmy speaks at numerous producer meetings.  His success in grazing wheat and harvesting grain has encouraged many producers to change to no-till production methods.  Educating producers about no-till has produced superior economic and environmental results.  Jimmy is active in Oklahoma Farm Bureau and is currently the President of Cotton County Farm Bureau. He was elected as a 2008 national delegate to the American Farm Bureau convention.   Jimmy is a state board member of the Oklahoma AgFUND which supports state legislators that promote agriculture.  Jimmy is currently a nonresident fellow for the Noble Foundation, a private foundation engaged in agricultural education in Ardmore Oklahoma.

Josh Lloyd, Producer - Clay Center, KS               No-till On The Plains Board Member

Continuous No-till; The Ultimate BMP

Josh is the Ex Oficio of No-till on the Plains and farms in north-central Kansas.  The Primary crops he grows are Wheat, Milo, and soybeans.  He will be talking about Continuous No-till, Why Continuous No-till soils are more productive, and how to manage them.     

Leading Edge Article:  Controlling His Destiny - Feature Farmer - Josh Lloyd  

Neonila Martyniuk, Agro-Soyuz - Ukraine
Farming in the Steppes of Ukraine (on Black Soils: Chornozem)

Serving as Deputy Director Responsible for International Activity, Neonila has worked for the Agro-Soyuz Corporation in Ukraine since 1999.  A frequent attendee of No-till on the Plains events and a perpetual student, Nila will be sharing information about the dramatic switch to no-till farming in the Ukraine, what the soils and weather are like, what the constraints are, as well as a brief history lesson and information about the political scene in the Ukraine.  Nila is a very interesting an enlightening personality!

Gary Maskus, Producer - Arriba, CO
What's New at the Zoo

Gary will discuss changes he has made on his farm and some of the challenges he sees now that his continuous notill system has been in place for a few years.  He will discuss what has worked and what needs to be changed and how this affects his rotations, equipment and other decisions.  There will also be a section of the presentation that will cover some of the pitfalls and recoveries from problems along the way. 

Mike McClellan, Producer -Palco, KS
Pushing the Limits of Cropping Patterns

After graduating from Kansas State University in 1984, Mike spent 10 years with the Farm Credit System and in Commercial Banking.  He then  joined his parents Bob and Jo Eva in the family farm operation located at Palco, Kansas, 40 miles northwest of Hays, an area that receives about 19 inches of rainfall annually.  The operation has expanded to 4800 acres of no-tillable ground.  Their crop rotation has evolved from wheat-fallow-wheat to planting a crop every year.  They have included  double cropping in their system with some success.  Mike will discuss his evolvement to aggressive crop sequences and the yield and financial data that has resulted. Mike is a director of First National Bank of Hays and serves on the local school board.  He and his wife Tammy also own two retail stores, Simply Charmed and Simply Elegant, in downtown Hays.  They concentrate on raising their most important crop, four daughters, Taylor, Madison, Claire and Kate.
Leading Edge Article:  Bank On It- Featured Farmer Mike McClellan

Jim Millar, Redfield, SD

Cover Crops, Soil Fertility, & Variable Rate Technology

Jim worked as a soil scientist for 20 years with the Natural Resources Conservation Service in South Dakota before starting a precision faming business (Precision Soil Management) in 2005. He has been working with different cover crops since 2005 collecting plant data and soils data. Jim is currently recommending a number of different cover crop seedings to help utilize excess soil moisture, to alleviate soil salinity issues, to increase soil organic matter, to help cycle crop residue and nutrients, to help alleviate soil compaction, along with providing extra forage for the cattle producer. 

Leading Edge Article:  Managing Wet Soils

Rod Peters, Producer - Hillsboro, KS      No-till On The Plains Board Member
How to Keep From Having The No-till Blues

Rod graduated from Kansas State University in 1976 with a BS degree in Animal Science.  He has been a No-till on the Plains board member since 2002. Rod is an active member of the Marion County Surface Water/Reservoir Advisory Board.  He started no-tilling on his farm in 1996. He has harvested sunflowers, cotton, hard red winter wheat, grain sorghum, corn, soybeans, hard red spring wheat, and has tried cover crops such as sunhemp, mung beans, hairy vetch, prosso millet, Austrian winter peas, and spring cow peas.  He also has a cow/calf herd that he integrates with his no-till operation.  As a sideline hobby he manages a hunting club on his property.  Rod and his wife Linda have two sons.  Nicholas will be receiving his Masters degree in Sports Administration from Northwest Missouri State University, and Brady will be receiving his Bachelors Degree in Communicatios and Public Relations from Fort Hays State University in May. For Rod, no-till has been a system that allows for creative ways to improve profitability, improve soil structure, increase organic matter, observe clean water runoff, and prepare the land a better place for the next generation.

Leading Edge Article:  His Chosen Path - Featured Farmer, Rod Peters

Charles Rice, KSA  Manhattan, KS          No-till On The Plains Board Member

  Impending Climate Change Agreements and Legislation:  What it means to you and no-till agriculture   This session will address how the climate change talks in Copenhagen and proposed US legislation could impact agriculture and the farmer.  Dr. Rice will discuss the potential economic impacts and also opportunities for agriculture, specifically no-till agriculture.

Charles W. Rice, university distinguished professor of soil microbiology at K-State, has conducted long-term research on soil organic dynamics, nitrogen transformations and microbial ecology.  Recently, his research has focused on soil and global climate change, including C and N emissions in agricultural and grassland ecosystems, and soil carbon sequestration and its potential benefits to the ecosystem.

Internationally, Rice was a member of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. He also is one of five team leaders for a $20 million Kansas NSF EPSCoR project researching global climate change and renewable energy research. Rice will lead the group that will use climate modeling tactics to predict the effects of climate change and develop strategies for adaptation and mitigation.  Rice’s research has been supported by more than $15 million in grants from the U.S. departments of Agriculture and Energy, National Science Foundation and others. He is director of the Consortium for Agricultural Soils Mitigation of Greenhouse Gases.

Moe Russell, Panora, Iowa  Founder and President of Russell Consulting Group
Ideas for Growth and Management of Multi-Generational Farms

Real World Solutions to Risk Management

Moe provides consulting services to clients in 36 states and Canada specializing in risk management services, performance compensation systems, and business planning and feasibility analysis. He grew up on a diversified grain and livestock farm near Monticello, Iowa where his family is still involved in production agriculture.    He graduated from Iowa State University in 1971 with a degree in Agricultural Business and received an Executive MBA degree from University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1997.
Moe spent 26 years with Farm Credit Services and served as Division President-Branch Lending, where he was responsible for 82 branch offices in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming, serving 45,000 customers with over 4 billion in loans outstanding.
He has international consulting experience in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, the Middle East, and South Africa. Moe is on the faculty of TEPAP at Texas A & M University and is an adjunct faculty member at Buena Vista University where he teaches management and business courses.
Moe is a frequent business speaker on marketing, motivation, planning, and entrepreneurship. Moe has authored over 150 articles and webinar series and writes a monthly column called “Riskwise” for Corn and Soybean Digest Magazine which can be found at: www.cornandsoybeandigest.com.

Alan Schlegel, KSU Soil Scientist - Tribune, KS
Returning CRP Land to Crop Production in Western Kansas

Alan Schlegel is a research agronomist in western Kansas at the KSU-SWREC near Tribune.  His research involves water and nutrient management in a semi-arid environment.  His presentation discusses some of the issues (e.g. residue removal, grass control, crop selection, and nutrient management, etc.) when returning CRP land to crop production.

Steve Swaffar, Director of Natural Resources Kansas Farm Bureau - Topeka, KS

The Near-term Outlook of Regulation and Environmental Laws Impacting Agriculture

Steve Swaffar is the Director of Natural Resources for Kansas Farm Bureau. Steve grew up on a wheat and cattle farm in north-central Oklahoma. In his job he assists farmers and ranchers with understanding and interpreting environmental laws and regulations; natural resources management; conservation programs and projects; and working with elected State and Federal officials. Steve has bachelor's and master's degrees in biology from the University of Kansas. Steve's talk will look at the potential environmental laws and regulations at the federal level that could have impacts on farmers and ranchers in the future.

Bruce Vincent, Executive Director, Provider Pals    Libby, MT
With Vision there is Hope  It is time for change – and change will be our friend.  America is ready for a new vision of conservation and environmental stewardship that is based upon hope instead of fear.   In order to share this vision we must first reintroduce the American consumer to the processes and the people of production and then lead – not just fight – the discussion over our environment.  Those who work at the ground level in implementing society’s framework for protecting the environment are positioned at the leading edge of the changes and challenges of this discussion.  That edge provides exciting opportunities and hope.

Activism 101    Deciding to become active in the debate over your culture and industry’s future is easy.  Figuring out how to become an activist and how to make activism a line item in your business plan without having it take over your life or your business can also be easy – with a little forethought (and a lot of laughter.)  

Bruce Vincent is a third generation logger from Libby, Montana.  Bruce helped form and is currently serving as President of Communities For A Great Northwest, Executive Director of Provider Pals and is co-owner of Environomics. Bruce speaks throughout the United States and the world, has testified on resource issues before Congress and has appeared on several news programs such as “60 Minutes”.  Bruce has been named Timberman of the Year in Montana, National Forest Activist of the Year, the Agri-Women’s 2007 Veritas Award Winner, and in 2004 received the inaugural Presidential Preserve America Award from President Bush.  Bruce has been married to his wife Patti Jo for over 30 years and has four children, two sons-in-law, and one granddaughter. His current activities represent a family commitment to responsible environmentalism.

 Dr. Ray Ward, Ward Laboratories, Kearney, NE  

Chloride and Other Soil Secrets
 
Dr. Ward is president and co-owner of Ward Laboratories, Inc. since 1983.   He holds numerous memberships in scientific and honorary academic societies and organizations.  His goals for agriculture and agronomy are to help production agriculture use its resources as efficiently as possible, to provide information and data for developing the best use of soil and water resources while maintaining environmental quality, to be involved in “value-added” agriculture, and to provide accurate laboratory data for managing production enterprises.   Come experience his vast knowledge of soil quality and agronomic expertise in an easy-to-understand presentation.  He will answer all of your questions on continuous No-till.

• Nitrogen As A Plant Nutrient  by Ray Ward (Leading Edge 2004)

• Soil Organic Matter and N Cycling by Dr. Ray Ward 

Mark Watson, Producer - Alliance, NE    

Cattle to Wheat  

Over the years we have used several crop rotations on our dry land acres in an attempt to develop the most profitable crop rotation.  The problem we ran into was finding a rotation which gave us the best opportunity to produce winter wheat. The problem we ran into with most rotations was the crop before wheat, such as proso millet, edible beans, chickpeas and sunflower put our winter wheat crop at a distinct disadvantage.  The crop rotation that we have settled on is winter wheat, followed by corn, field peas, and back to winter wheat.  The challenge with the field peas is developing a market for the crop.  Field peas proved to be an excellent crop for rotating back to winter wheat and they are also excellent producers of nitrogen which is utilized by the following crops.   The other alternative for cattle grazing is the planting of forage cocktails on dry land acres.  This system of spring, summer, and fall forages provides high quality grazing for producers who have cattle in their operation.  The forages improve the quality of the soil; provide nitrogen for grain crops, and excellent grazing for cattle.  Some problems with the grazing have occurred but they are mainly management issues.  We still have a lot to learn as far as managing these forages.  The benefit we see in this type of grazing rotation is providing high quality forage for the cattle, giving the pastures a rest during the season to improve the quality of the pastures, and being able to incorporate grain production into this rotation at any time.  The forages will also break up persistent weed and disease cycles, and provide nitrogen for the following grain crop. 

Mark farms 3,500 acres with his brother Bruce 10 miles north of Alliance, Nebraska.  His farm has been in the family for approximately 115 years so Mark considers himself definitely born and bred to farm.  They have been completely continuous No-till since 1994.  Their farm is dryland and irrigated, raising wheat, corn, pinto beans, garbanzo beans, proso millet.  Mark is married to Denise and has a son Jacob and daughter Hannah.  Bruce and Mark have been selected as Master Conservationists for the state of Nebraska and will be receiving the award in September 2007.  Mark Watson also serves as the No-till education coordinator for Western Nebraska.    Mark will deliver an excellent presentation on the how’s and why’s of continuous No-till featuring real-world economics from his own operation.  

 

Leading Edge Article:  So Much from So Little - Farmers Bruce and Mark Watson New No Till “Breaking the tillage mindset” Dryland" Farming No-till and Water

Improving Soil Quality Chem Fallow is NOT No-till! The Value of Residue   The Value of Residue - Part 2 Managing Residue Part 1 Managing Residue Part 2 Equipment to Handle Residue What A Difference No-till Sugar Beets What if water allocations are cut? No-till Edible Beans No-till Corn

Crop Rotations and Weed Control   Planning Crop Rotations  Understanding The Soil Parts 1 and 2 Cover Crops Irrigation Efficiency Last Irrigation Drought Considerations 6 inches of water  An 8 part article on how to grow crops on 6 inches or less of water!

Jeff Wessels, Precision Ag Leader, Agronomist, Certified Crop Advisor  Cargill, Inc - Arapahoe, NE

Successes with Precision Agriculture in No-till Production

Jeff grew up on an irrigated and dryland farm in south central Nebraska and has been in agronomy and agronomy sales since 1989.  Serving as Precision Ag Leader for his group since 1995, he has incorporated precision agriculture with his no-till growers since that date.

Jeff’s presentation will look at many aspects of precision ag and focus on the successes they have had with growers utilizing a precision ag program on both irrigated and dryland no-till cropping systems.

Nigel Wilhelm, Consultant - Australia 
No-till in southern Australia: A means to an end, not an end in itself

Nigel Wilhelm started his career with the SA Dept of Agriculture in 1987 based in Pt Lincoln. He worked on crop and pasture nutrition issues in the Pt Lincoln region for the next 7 years before transferring back to Adelaide. Since then he has lead a research team which has investigated a wide range of issues which relate to the productivity and sustainability of farming systems in southern Australia. Since 2001 he has also worked part time at the Minnipa Agricultural Centre as Research Leader. Current activities include subsoil constraints, crop nutrition, controlled traffic impacts on productivity, role of summer crops in southern Australia and crops for biodiesel. His postgraduate training was in plant pathology and trace element nutrition of crops.

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