June 26, 2009

No-till on the Plains, Inc. will host a Whirlwind No-till Expo July 15 near Clarkson with hands-on learning opportunities, expert speakers, and experienced no-tillers from the area. Topics will cover ways for increasing profitability, gaining a better agronomic understanding of soils and their reactions to fertility, improving water quality, and increasing efficiency with new rotations and crop sequencing.

The day-long event will begin at 9 a.m. at the Chris Clausen farm southeast of Clarkson at the northeast corner of County Road S and Road 11. Preregistration is encouraged by Friday, July 10.

The Expo will feature a soil pit on-site and in-the-field demonstrations in the morning. This will be an excellent opportunity to see the rainfall simulator in action and witness the impact that continuous no-till practices have on soil. After a morning of in-the-field demonstrations and talks, attendees can enjoy a catered lunch along with speaker presentations at the Howells Ballroom at 515 North Street in Howells.

Speakers will include Jerry Hatfield, supervisory plant physiologist at the National Soil Tilth Research Laboratory in Ames, Iowa; Ray Ward, co-owner of Ward Laboratories; Paul Jasa, Extension Engineer; Dan Gillespie, NRCS No-till Specialist in the Battle Creek Field Office; and Randy Rink, no-till producer, among others.

Registration Information

For more information on the Whirlwind No-till Expo or to pre-register by July 10, contact No-till on the Plains, Inc. at 888-330-5142 or register online at www.notill.org. The cost is $30 for those who pre-register by July 10 and $60 for those who register at the door. (Lunch cannot be guaranteed for those who don't pre-register.)

No-till on the Plains is a regional, farmer-run organization that promotes practical and scientific application of continuous no-till farming.

The Expo is partially funded through a grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust and PrairieLand RC&D.