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managing your soil<br />
“It’s like driving over a sponge,” Jeff said<br />
of that particular field, which has never ever<br />
been tilled. “That ground is so mellow.”<br />
Managing the 2,300 acres of soil they<br />
farm and building its health is their goal. In<br />
addition to no-till, they also plant a variety of<br />
cover crops, such as rye, radishes and clover.<br />
“When we first started, we sacrificed<br />
yield,” Brian said. “The longer you do this,<br />
the better the results. You can’t panic after the<br />
first year when you lose yield because building<br />
soil health is a long-term commitment.”<br />
The longer they have used no-till, the less<br />
they have noticed wet spots and mud being a<br />
problem in their fields.<br />
“Mother Nature takes care of it; before it<br />
was water and sediment central,” said Jeff,<br />
adding that they dealt with sheet erosion and<br />
had gullies forming where grass waterways<br />
were supposed to go.<br />
“We’ve taken back the structure. We don’t<br />
tear anything up,” Brian said, adding that<br />
they no longer have erosion problems.<br />
After a heavy rain, they can go down to the<br />
hollows on the edges of their fields, and the<br />
water runs clear.<br />
“That tells us a lot,” Jeff said. n<br />
— Nancy mayfield,<br />
eastern iowa farmer<br />
eastern iowa farmer photo / Contributed<br />
At Peters Beef Genetics, we focus on three areas in producing bred heifers to become long-term cows in the herd:<br />
CONVENIENCE:<br />
• Quiet & easy to be around<br />
• Quality teats & udder<br />
• Sensible size<br />
PERFORMANCE:<br />
• Calve, nurse & mother with no drama<br />
• Grow & gain fast & efficiently<br />
• Timely rebreeding<br />
LONGEVITY:<br />
• Grass & forage based<br />
• Sound feet & legs<br />
• “Built-in” body condition and maternal desire<br />
<strong>Spring</strong> calving<br />
heifers and<br />
pairs available<br />
at the farm!<br />
ULTRASOUND CALVING DATES • FETAL SEXED • COMPLETE VACCINATIONS<br />
PETERS BEEF<br />
GENETICS<br />
Like us on Facebook at Peters Beef Genetics and check out our recent videos!<br />
76 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | spring <strong>2017</strong><br />
For more info, call<br />
Charlie & Jenni Peters<br />
Mathias, Michael, Sam & Miranda<br />
Bellevue, <strong>Iowa</strong><br />
563-672-9642 H • 319-480-9642 C<br />
319-480-1834 J<br />
Email: cwpeters@netins.net
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