Southern Illinois No-Till Association

Today I attended a seminar put on by the Southern Illinois No-Till Association in Pinkneyville.  Expectations were exceeded by the valuable information presented.  I also got to visit with some old friends.  Steve Ebelhar discussed two topics of interest.  First on the list was urease inhibitors.  His research shows they work and pay for themselves.  Some work better than others, so do a little research yourself.  His presentation on nitrogen in wheat was very timely.  His research shows that nitrogen applied in March is more effective than if it is applied in February.

Mike Plumer discussed Vertical Tillage.  As I have pointed out before, some people are using one pass vertical tillage tools much to aggressively.  He also pointed out that on Highly Erodible fields, Vertical Tillage may not control erosion as well as No-Till, so check with NRCS before you commit on those fields.  He also had a general discussion on cover crops.  I did not realize that Tillage Radish and Hairy vetch are being used in tandem.

Bryan Young discussed chemicals and Glyphosate resistance.  A word of caution on Ignite/Liberty that I did not know.  It is not as effective on Palmer Amaranth as we might like.  I have seen some fields treated with Ignite that looked very clean, but I do not know their weed pressures.  This is a little less positive than I have been.  Soil applied residuals with different modes of action are definitely a part of the picture.  He says to apply chemicals at full rates even if tank mixing or applying something else later.

Chris Evans made and excellent presentation on invasive species.  I think I will write a separate blog on the topic.