No-till Beats Tight Clay Soils

Roger Wenning, a farmer in Indiana, is all no-till in this article. He thinks it is the best practice for the particular soil that he deals with in Indiana. His winning formula is to pattern tile to take excess water away, get your ph right (which is about 6.5), grid sample for optimum nutrient application, begin using cover crop mixes, and no-till, or strip till for a few years, and then no-till. He bought a tile plow and put tile every 45 to 60 feet spacings, as opposed to the 100 feet spacings that had been there. He did this to improve the ground’s water digestion. He also put cover crops on all of his acres by 2002, and the cover crops have really helped Roger Wenning with his operation. Annual Ryegrass has been a go-to for Wenning, as their roots go down 4 to 5 feet. He included crimson clover in his lineup to add some more nitrogen to the soils. He also used rape because it grows through the winter. He thinks that growing the soil was profitable for his operation because he wasn’t able to grow his acres. He is opposed to tillage for the soil that he farms with, as it increases compaction.

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