Dr. Tom Schumacher, SDSU, (Retired) walks us through the experimental setup he used with large rainfall simulators, the type developed for the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), on three different tillage systems. The data Dr. Tom discusses is based on experimental runs conducted four years after this land was taken out of CRP and then…
Infiltration Through Soil Profiles Under Three Different Farming Systems (Part 1)
Dr. Tom Schumacher, Retired, SDSU, walks us through the experimental setup he used with large rainfall simulators, the type developed for the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), on three different farming systems to evaluate soil infiltration. The data Dr. Tom discusses is based on experimental runs conducted four years after this land was taken out…
Dr. Tom Schumacher Discusses Soil Architecture
While soils are made up of solid materials (sand, silt, clay and organic materials), Dr. Tom Schumacher, SDSU (retired) shows us how important soil structure or soil architecture is for soil hydrologic function, i.e., making water infiltrate and keeping water for the next crop. Natural soils have an architecture that includes a diversity of interconnected…
Residue Recap
In this video, we recap the last 11 videos on our Merit or Myth Series that deal with residue and tillage. We sum up the information provided by our farmers and researchers, from West River to East River of South Dakota. As we consider the statement: “Farming without tillage and with surface residue is not…
Spiral of Soil Regeneration – Part 3 (Dr. Randy Anderson)
This is the third part of a three part series in Dr. Anderson’s 10-minute talk on his spiral of regeneration. Dr. Randy Anderson, Research Agronomist with the USDA-ARS in Brookings, SD, shares with us his spiral of soil regeneration. The concept of the spiral had its genesis in Dr. Anderson’s work in no-till where he…
Spiral of Soil Regeneration – Part 2 (Dr. Randy Anderson)
Dr. Randy Anderson, Research Agronomist with the USDA-ARS in Brookings, SD, shares with us his spiral of soil regeneration. The concept of the spiral had its genesis in Dr. Anderson’s work in no-till where he observed a number of interactive biological effects at work. In this second video, Dr. Anderson walks us through the benefits…
Spiral of Soil Regeneration – Part 1 (Dr. Randy Anderson)
This is the first part of a three part series in Dr. Anderson’s 10-minute talk on his spiral of regeneration. Dr. Randy Anderson, Research Agronomist with the USDA-ARS in Brookings, SD, shares with us his spiral of soil regeneration. The concept of the spiral had its genesis in Dr. Anderson’s work in no-till where he…
There’s More to No-Till than Buying Equipment (Dave Ollila)
A decade or two ago, a saying went: “no-till, no yield”. Today, Dave Ollila, ag producer and SDSU Extension Sheep Field Specialist, says “no-till, no brainer” and that’s especially true for him where every drop of moisture counts. No-till allows Dave to keep undisturbed the root system he has worked so hard to develop below…
What Can We Expect When We Change to No-Till (Dr. Pete Sexton)
In this second video of our time Dr. Pete Sexton, SDSU farm manager at the Southeastern Research Station Beresford, SD, Dr. Sexton walks us through some of the broad brush strokes of a change to no-till. While the overall cost of no-till is lower, the immediate impact being a reduction in tillage expens, there are…
Considering the Change to No-Till (Dr. Pete Sexton)
In this video, Dr. Pete Sexton (SDSU Farm Manager at the Southeastern Research Station Beresford, SD) discusses the pros and cons of no-till versus conventional till. Based on the data, it appears that over several years, average yields between the two systems are no different from each other and that swings are often dependent on…