How Does a No-till Planting System Work?

There are many moving parts to a modern, no- till planting system and new technologies allow farmers to be more precise with seed and fertilizer placement. This not only saves time and money but ensures that each seed has the best possible start with minimal soil disturbance.
It really all starts off with the soil! On our farm we value the advice of soil scientists who take soil samples from each field and develop a plan of what fertilizers to use and in what amounts to maximize plant growth. Each field is a little different, so we have the ability to adjust the rates of seed and fertilizer, effectively with the push of a button. There are sensors found throughout the planting system that monitor seed placement and fertilizer rates. Our family farm started using minimal or no-till planting in 1996 and we’ve seen a substantial increase in the amount of soil organic matter and moisture retained in the soil resulting in higher and more consistent yields. We feel this farming method is sustainable for our family’s future farmers, my children and nieces!
So, what’s fertilizer and why do we use it? Soil is a living environment with different soil microscopic organisms, insects and earthworms who make soil their home. Soil also feeds the plants that grow in it. In order to properly care for the soil and the crops that grow in it, we have to ensure proper nutrition exists. Fertilizer is like taking a multivitamin to stay healthy. Farmers mainly focus on four macro-nutrients to provide strong soil and crop health, Nitrogen – Phosphorous – Potassium – Sulphur. These different nutrients can either be manufactured or mined, but can also be applied through other sources like animal manure. In our case, we are using anhydrous ammonia (mentioned in the video) as a source of nitrogen. Ammonia is high in nitrogen and when anhydrous (without water) ammonia is injected into the soil through the planting system it is readily absorbed into the soil moisture as nitrogen.

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