Farmer-Led Research

THERE CAN BE A PROBLEM OF REDUCED CROP YIELDS WHEN USING COVER CROPS IN A DRY YEAR. 1988 WAS A VERY DRY YEAR, ESPECIALLY ON THE MAY’S FARM IN SOUTHEAST IOWA. IN FACT 1987 WAS ALSO A DROUGHT …

SIDE BY SIDE COMPARISONS OF RIDGE-TILL WITH AND WITHOUT BANDED HERBICIDES SHOWED NO CORN YIELD DIFFERENCES IN ALL THREE LOCATIONS, CHART 7. THE PLOTS WITHOUT HERBICIDES SAVED AN AVERAGE OF $8.78 PER ACRE IN PRODUCTION COSTS. THE COEFFICIENT …

STEVE LEAZER USES MANURE AS A MAJOR PART OF HIS FERTILIZER PROGRAM. SOME THINK MANURE WILL REQUIRE INSECTICIDE USE, e.g., FOR SEED CORN MAGGOT. CHART 22 SHOWS NO DIFFERENCE IN YIELDS WITH OR WITHOUT AN INSECTICIDE.

THE AVERAGE NITROGEN RATE PER ACRE (17 TRIALS – 11 LOCATIONS) FOR THE HIGH LEVEL APPLICATION WAS 119 POUNDS, AND 58 POUNDS NITROGEN WAS THE MEAN APPLICATION RATE FOR THE LOW LEVEL. THE AVERAGE CORN YIELDS FOR BOTH …

IOWA’S BIGGEST NUTRIENT PROBLEM IN THE HIGH CALCIUM AND MAGNESIUM SOILS IS POTASSIUM UPTAKE BY THE CORN PLANT. SOME CONTEND THEY CAN CHANGE THE PARENT MATERIAL BY ADDING SULFUR TO LEACH OUT THE MAGNESIUM.. OTHERS THINK THE SOLUTION …

SIDE DRESSING LIQUID MANURES WHEN CROPS ARE GROWING WOULD EXTEND THE APPLICATION TIME UP TO MID JUNE ON CORN AND MID JULY ON SOYBEANS. THE NUTRIENTS WOULD BE APPLIED WHEN THE CROPS DEMANDS ARE THE GREATEST. THIS TECHNIQUE …

RON ROSMANN’S EXPERIMENT SHOWED SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN WEEDS WITH CONVENTIONAL TILLAGE COMPARED TO RIDGE-TILL. THE 72 VISUAL OBSERVATIONS HAD AN AVERAGE RATING OF 2.0278 FOR RIDGE-TILL AND 4.1806 FOR CONVENTIONAL TILLAGE, CHART 12. THE YIELDS WERE THE SAME …