FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 6, 2011 NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Randy Pryor, Extension Educator
UNL Extension in Saline County
Phone: (402) 821-2151

SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA NO-TILLAGE CONFERENCE

“Hallam, Nebraska rebuilt their town and now farmers are talking about how to rebuild their soil to meet the challenging yield goals of the future,” says University of Nebraska Extension Educator Randy Pryor. The Southeast Nebraska No-Tillage Conference is set for Friday, January 21, 2011 at the Hallam Community Center. Registration begins at 8:30 AM with the program starting at 9:00 AM and concluding at 3:30 PM. The noon meal is included and CCA credits are available.

The keynote speaker is Dr. Dwayne Beck, manager of the Dakota Lakes Research Farm near Pierre, South Dakota. One of the many things that clearly sets Beck apart from most other no-till cropping system researchers is his obvious appreciation and understanding of farm machinery said Pryor. He knows the cost of inputs. He knows the challenge of marketing many different crops. Producers quickly will sense that he’s talking from real experience.

His record irrigated no-till corn yield is 270 bu/ac. Dryland winter wheat is 107 bu/ac. He considers 100 bushel per acre corn on dryland a crop failure. Crop rotation schemes, aggressive nitrogen management and incredible soil porosity help lead the way for higher yields. “Seeding cover crops to enhance carbon levels in soils will also be a point of emphasis of this conference,” said Pryor. UNL Extension Educator Jim Schneider and Dan Gillespie, a no-till specialist with Battle Creek NRCS, will report their observations and on-farm research results.

Other speakers committed to the program are Dr. Ray Ward of Ward Laboratories in Kearney, and Paul Jasa, UNL Extension Engineer. Dr. Ward has extensive experience in nutrient management in no-till farming systems and often refers to examples on his dryland farm in Saline County. Jasa has considerable continuous, no-till farming experience at the Rogers Memorial Research Farm east of Lincoln and often refers to the system approach in successful continuous no-till farming strategies.

Pre-registration is required. The deadline is Tuesday, January 18th for a reservation request. Call the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Saline County today at (402) 821-2151 to reserve your spot or e-mail office manager Lou Hajek at lhajek2@unl.edu. All of the conference expenses and meal costs have been taken care of by generous sponsors said Pryor. These include the Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District, Farmers Cooperative, AgQwest, AgXplore International, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Saline County, and a grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust Fund.

Pryor said the Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District is the lead agency for a similar meeting in Hastings, January 20th at the Adams County Fairgrounds and Seward, January 27th at the Seward County Fairgrounds, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. For reservations, call Patty Kyhn at (402) 362-6601.

Conference Flyer

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