364 Conservation Tillage Challenges the Moldboard Plow - webapps8

methods, he reported. Carlos Averyis located on a sand plain, so the soilis light. "There's not as much roomfor error with no-till and you have tomanage it more intensely, he said."We had better corn in droughtyears than our neighbors who usedconventional tillage.He usually plants corn betweenlast year's corn rows. The stalks areleft for wildlife and not harvested.The residue provides food and coverduring fall and winter. Mallards andteal have been seen nesting in CarlosAvery's no-till corn fields.Advice First. Hansgen and Bischoffrecommended that farmers whowant to try conservation tillageshould talk to someone who's successfulat it. "I don't think a goodmanager who is working with someonewho has experience will haveany problem changing," Hansgensaid.But he doesn t recommend transforminga whole farm the first year.A good way to start is to havesomeone custom plant five to 20acres the first year, then convert thewhole farm in three to five years, hesaid. Another way: Ask advice fromdealers who loan or rent planters tofarmers who want to try conserva-Journal ReviewsConservation TillageThe Soil Conservation Society haspublished a special issue of Journal ofSoil and Water Conservation on conservationtillage.The 192-page issue includes articlesthat assess the positive and negativeimpact of conservation tillage on soil,water, and the environment. Otherarticles review conservation tillagefrom a regional point of view and fromthe perspective of certain crops.Still other articles examine theefforts of agricultural extensionoffices to encourage acceptance ofconservation tillage, the experience offarmers with various tillage systems,and current research in the field.Single copies of this special issueare available from: Soil ConservationSociety of America. 7515 NE AnkenyRoad, Ankeny, IA 50021. Price: $5.tion planting and from Soil and WaterConservation District offices. AgExtension Service and SVVCD/SCSoffices throughout the state also holdconservation tillage meetings, tours,and demonstrations during the yearto help farmers get started. •Wayne Edgerton is a soil and waterconservation specialist with theDNR Division of Waters. Dean Milleris a former public affairs specialist,SCS, St. Paul.-fr -fr ftNature Hints Many Times Before We ListenHow MANY times it thundered before Franklin took the hint? How many applesfell on Newton's head before he took the hint? Nature is always hinting at us. Ithints over and over again. And suddenly we take the hint. — Robert FrostJANUARY-FEBRUARY 1984 43