Ken Nixon - Ilderton

Who, What, Where

Farm Operated by George, Ken & Kevin

Located Between Ilderton & Arva – 1.5 mi N of City of London

1600 ac Cash Crop + Custom Farming Operation

Predominately Silt Loam Soils – Complex Topographies

Gentle to Moderate Slopes – water gathers and runs.

All drained – most systematically – 30-50’ spacings

3 crop rotation – Corn/Soybeans/Wheat – little deviation

How No-Till Wheat & Soys since 1990

Adopted As Much for Cost and Labour Savings vs. Soil Erosion Reduction

Still Fall Disk & Spring Cultivate Until 2006 Ahead of Corn

The NT Corn into Wheat Stubble is Very Difficult

In 2006, We Adopted Strip Tillage for Corn Preparation

The Law of the Minimum

Our Job is to Identify Yield Limiting Factors and Mitigate Them

Why Defining Moment – Late 90’s – Yield Monitor Shopping

Yield Variability – Low Yield – Fix it With Fertilizer

Very Poor Correlation Between Yield and Fertility

Very Strong Correlation Between Yield and Soil Water Availability(In Absence of Visual or Proven Deficiency)

Focus on Improving a Soil’s Ability to: Absorb Water, Hold it Until RequiredRelease to Crop as Needed

Increase Organic Matter Content

Reduce Compaction – Increase Infiltration – Easier Root Development

We Know: Tillage Oxidizes Organic Matter Reduce / Eliminate Tillage

We Know: Crop Harvest Removes Nutrients, Including Carbon Don’t Sell Straw / Stover / Cobs

Import Manure When We Can

We Know: Invest in Technology to Reduce Compaction Large Tires or Track Systems – Goal: 15 psi in tires or on Tracks.

Tillage Doesn’t Fix It – It Masks It.

Benefit of Hindsight I Wish We Had Been Using Cover Crops When I Quit Tillage

Covers Will Help You Through the Transition Scientist – Linear Thinker – Change One Thing at a Time

Full Tillage ….. To… No-Till With Cover Crops Large Management Adjustment, but if You’re Contemplating Change, I’d

Encourage No-Till and Adoption of Cover Crops Simultaneously

Clay Mitchell – Buckingham, IA Degree in Biomedical Engineering from Harvard.

Early Adopter of Yield Monitor – 20 yrs data

Early Adopter of RTK and then Active Implement Steering

Farm Wide WiFi – monitor and control Grain System from LapTop in Combine – early 2000’s

Built Section Control for Sprayer (every tip) before commercially available

What Is the Smartest Guy in the Room with Incredible Technical Talent Doing to Increase Profitability?

“Cover cropping and no-till are essential for soil health.”

Most soil variations addressed by VRT are due to water holding capacity differences, which could be addressed through proper drainage and practices that improve soil health and result in increased efficiency across all inputs.

The “Low Hanging Fruit” is improving Soil Health on all acres, rather than spending a lot of resources on trying to rearrange or reposition inputs on a given farm.

We believe that the technologies we selectively avoid are just as important as those we embrace.

We deliberately don’t use variable rate technologies or nitrogen sensors. Soil Quality is more important than variable rate technologies.

A Healthy Soil:Faster Water Infiltration

Water Availability in Dry Periods

Equipment Carrying Capacity

Quicker Residue Decomposition

More Stable Yields

Keeping our soil at home.. How we try to improve soil health

Bodmin Limited..

Who we are…

• 1,200 acres, Morris-Turnberry

• Harriston Loam

• Corn, soybean, winter wheat rotation

• Manure from 900-head sow barn,

• Small amount of solid manure.

• Picture taken 1988.

Farming practices can degrade soil by…

Increased Erosion

Damaging soil

structure

Increasing compaction

Decreasing infiltration

Reducing organic matter

Photo Courtesy Phil Beard, MVCA

Great Lakes Basin (annual precipitation by year)

What we do to prevent

soil erosion…

• No-till since 1992,

• Systematic tile drainage,

• Grassed waterways,

• Berms,

• Some cover crops,

• Wind breaks,

• Catch basins.

No-till Equipment• John Deere 1790 planter,

• Martin trash cleaners,

• John Deere 7930 tractor.

First things first… no-till yield – 10 year

comparison..

100

110

120

130

140

150

160

170

180

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Axis

Tit

le

Dry Corn Yields Bu/Ac

Bodmin

County

SW Region

ON

Advantages over

conventional..• Tillage savings - $48/acre (OMAFRA),

• Less capital tied up with equipment,

• Less labour,

• Better timing with field conditions,

• Improved soil health,

• Reduced soil erosion,

• Reduced compaction risk,

• Improved drainage,

• Reduced earthworm damage,

• Better conditions at harvest,

• Don’t bury so much equipment in muddy

fields anymore…

No-Till Challenges…• Manure incorporation,

• Fertilizer incorporation,

• Need more down pressure on planter,

• Different soil types can be more difficult to

manage,

• Wet conditions are challenging.

No-till isn’t a

magic bullet..Problem areas where water still runs…

Grassed waterways,

Berms,

Catch basins,

Systematic tile drainage.

2015 yield

map

Improvements..• Improved berm at front of field,

• Improved catch basin,

• Added a 15” drainage pipe – added to

existing 12” clay pipe,

• Cleaned up weed nursery area,

• Added catch basin and berm mid-way back,

• Filled in eroded area and seeded with down.

2016 – 2” Rainfall…

Neighbouring field.. Improved waterway

2015• Improved berm,

• Improved washed area,

• Systematically tiled,

• Seeded improved areas with a mix of

oats, alfalfa, orchard grass, perennial

rye.

Berm extended..

2015 – no-till, grassed waterway

Spring… 2016

Not all water was held, but soil stayed in

place.

Spring - 2016

Soil conservation is a work in progress..

• More cover crops,

• Continue improving problem areas,

• Consider new solutions for old problems,

• Improve wind breaks,

• Improve fertilizer application,

• Keep learning!

Thank you!

Approaches to Soil

Health: Brett Israel

Carl Israel Farms Ltd.

Drayton Ontario

Overview of Operation

• Farm approx. 600 acres near Drayton

• Corn, Soy, Wheat (or spring cereal) rotation

• Primarily Clay Soils

• 180 Sow Farrow to Finish hog operation

• Entire farm under organic standards

• Three generations farming together

Keys to Soil Health

• Utilizing a “systems approach”

• Appreciating value of organic amendments

• Diversity in crop rotation

• Infusing Cover Crops whenever possible

• Follow the “Golden Rule”

Cover Crop Following Wheat

(Spring Cereal)

• Broadcast Cover Crop mix post harvest

• Apply liquid hog manure

• Cultivate in manure and seed

• Disk rip cover crop to terminate:

October-November

Post Cereal C.C. BMP’s

• Realize symbiotic relationship between C.C. and manure (organic

amendments)

• Less is more in terms of seeding rate

• Diversity in C.C. mix is key i.e. peas and oats

• Be purposeful in C.C. species selection

• CAREFULLY Monitor C.C. growth

14 Way Cover

Crop Mix @

Frost

C.C.’s In Row Crops

• Organic standards do not permit use of herbicide

• Dependent on tillage for weed control

• Adapted row crop cultivator to become an interseeder

• Allows for excellent seed to soil contact, great catchs

• Interseed cover crops into standing corn and soybeans on last scuffler pass

C.C. Interseeded

in Corn

Favourite species to interseed in

Corn

• Crimson Clover

• Vivant Brassica

• Berseem Clover

• Hairy Vetch

C.C. Mix in Corn

• Interseeded @ 10 lbs per acre

• No yield drag on the corn

• Fantastic for pollinators

C.C. in Soybeans

• New experiment in 2017

• Wanted to leave extra N for following corn crop

• Hairy Vetch was used at it is great fixer of N

• Interseeded just as beans canopied

• Rate of 4.5lbs/ac

In Summary

• We are Dependent on the Health of our Soil

• Utilize Cover Crops whenever possible

• Potential for C.C. to help reduce tillage

Thank you!