Behind the theme of “No-tilling today for a better tomorrow,” the 2011 National No-Tillage Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, from January 12-15, 2011, promises to deliver the 4 most highly valuable days of learning experiences for cutting-edge farmers seeking to improve their no-till practices.

The just-completed conference program, now available at www.NoTillConference.com, includes 43 speakers from North America and offers the best no-till management practices and ideas to help no-tillers improve their bottom line. Speakers include no-tillers, agronomists, consultants and university experts teeing up topics ranging from fertility management to precision ag to soil improvement to equipment setups to cover crops and much more — all designed to push up no-till yields with more efficient use of inputs.

The 19th annual event includes 18 general session presentations, 20 classrooms (an increase of 5 from 2010) and 60 roundtables. Following is a sample of topics and speakers lined up to present nearly 100 hours of in-depth no-till learning at the Hilton in downtown Cincinnati.

  • “Dealing With Dirt: What You Need To Know About Soil Quality,” from Dr. Ray Weil, University of Maryland soil scientist and author of “The Nature And Property Of Soils,” will identify practices to improve soil biology and make soils more productive and sustainable.
  • “An In-Depth Look At Raising High-Yielding No-Till Soybeans” — Our opening-evening general session will feature former Iowa State agronomist Palle Pedersen; no-till consultant Ed Winkle; and a panel of no-tillers offering best practices for pushing seemingly stagnant no-till soybean yields to a higher level.
  • “Managing The Undermanaged Nutrients Of No-Till,” by Joel Gruver, a Western Illinois University fertility specialist, looks at secondary and trace element needs of today’s no-till soils.
  • “Residue, Uniformity And The No-Till Systems Approach,” by Paul Jasa, a University of Nebraska ag engineer, will examine how to help each corn plant hit its maximum no-till potential.
  • “10 Ways To Make No-Till Work Better,” by Jack Maloney will look at tactics that helped the Brownsburg, Ind., farmer successfully transition to no-till, as well as no-till better into the future.
  • “Overcoming Today’s Difficulties With Glyphosate” by Joe Nester, a Bryan, Ohio, no-till consultant, will identify glyphosate abuses and pitfalls while offering practical solutions.
  • “7 Proven Ways To Make No-Till Wheat A Winner,” by Herndon, Ky., no-tiller John Young serves ups field-tested techniques to make small grains a winning rotational cropping partner.
  • “Cover Crops That Fit In Your No-Till Rotation,” by Jim Hoorman, an Ohio State University educator, will break down which cover crops are the best performers with no-tilled grain crops.
  • “Adopting Modern Technology For Improved Profits,” by Dietrich Kastens, a Herndon, Kan., no-tiller, shares how adopting today’s precision technologies can impact long-term productivity.
  • “Twin-Stripping And Precision Fertility For Big Corn Yields,” gives tips from the high-yielding, twin-row, strip-till corn system and fertility practices of Metamora, Ill., grower John Obery.
  • “Keys To Becoming A 100% Continuous No-Tiller,” provides some of the key practices that Perryville, Md., no-tiller H. Grant Troop has adopted to “park the plow” and successfully no-till.

Darrell Bruggink, executive editor and publisher of No-Till Farmer, the organizer of the National No-Tillage Conference, says both experienced no-tillers and farmers considering adopting no-tillage practices will get dozens of practical tips to use in their operations and be challenged to improve their no-till system.

“Beyond the many things to be learned from speakers during the general sessions and classrooms are the countless hours of one-on-one and group discussions with no-tillers in the roundtables or through hallway networking,” Bruggink says. “This event really empowers no-tillers with helpful ideas and practical tips that allows them to walk away from the conference re-energized to start a new production season.”

The final 12-page program can be viewed and downloaded at www.NoTillConference.com. Registration is just $249 per person, with a special $222 rate for additional farm or family members.

The National No-Tillage Conference is co-sponsored by No-Till Farmer and 12 industry-leading companies, including Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers, Agrotain International, Bayer CropScience, Case IH, Equipment Technologies, Great Plains Manufacturing, Oregon Ryegrass Commission, SFP, Syngenta Crop Protection, Thurston Manufacturing, Titan International and Trimble Navigation.