Articles by Ian Gronau

Healing the Soil Through No-Till, Focusing on Boosting Organic Matter

A combination of long-term no-till, cover crops, planting green and spreading manure brings organic matter levels from 2-4.8%.

By Ian Gronau posted on January 13, 2018 | Posted in Soil Health

An ancestor of the Leroy Bupp’s family likely started farming the land in Seven Valleys, Pa. Bupp currently farms on acres that were originally farmed around the time the 13 colonies declared independence from Britain. Of course, much has changed over the years.

Mushroom Compost, No-Tilling Supercharge Soil Health Levels

By Ian Gronau posted on October 28, 2017 | Posted in Seeding Practices, Soil Health

For many farmers, rebuilding the level of organic matter in their soils is a process that can take many years, oftentimes only seeing small gains. But Kennett Square, Pa., no-tiller Jamie Hicks has seen the organic matter in some of his soils rocket from 1% to up to 5% in a relatively short period of time by spreading mushroom compost.

Cutting Expenses with No-Till Grain, Vegetables

Cory Atkins is experimenting with no-till, cover crops and precision technology on a variety of crops for higher profits and efficiency.

By Ian Gronau posted on October 29, 2016 | Posted in Seeding Practices

Cory Atkins is a rare example of a young, first generation commercial farmer in an aging and family-centric industry. Although he grew up on a hobby farm with a roadside market and was tutored by an uncle who farms, he has taken it upon himself to obtain a production agriculture degree and expand the acres under his management.

Precise Nutrient, Cover Crop Use Cleans Up Chesapeake

Trey Hill shares what he’s learned from trying to reduce nitrogen leaching, managing inputs and battling slugs on his 10,000 no-till acres.

By Ian Gronau posted on July 30, 2016 | Posted in Soil Health, Termination

Although Trey Hill has been farming around 10,000 acres in Rock Hall, Md., his whole life, he’s quick to mention that he’s more a student than a teacher. It’s this instinct that leads him to perpetually tweak his nitrogen (N) management and cover-crop program, forever in search of more conservative and efficient techniques for the fourth generation family-run Harborview Farms.

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Ray McCormick’s Conservation Buffer

Earlier this week we paid another visit to this year’s Conservation Ag Operator Fellow, Ray McCormick in Vincennes, Ind., and one thing about Ray is that even when it’s the “off season,” he’s still thinking ahead for next season.

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