Alternative Fuels

Conservation Tillage Gaining Ground

The Atkinson and Coffee Cooperative Extension, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, Coffee County Conservation Tillage Alliance and Seven Rivers RC&D have worked closely together promoting conservation tillage by holding field days, equipment demonstrations, cover crop meetings, the Annual Sustainable Agriculture/Conservation Tillage School, and by promoting cost share programs. At these meetings, the county agents have educated growers about differences in soil fertility, equipment and weed, insect and disease control programs. Extension specialists are conducting CT research at the experiment stations and assisting agents with on-farm demonstrations. Many local farmers have converted from conventional to reduced tillage systems. In Atkinson County, CT acreage has increase from 1,400 acres in 1995 to 14,923 acres in 2004. More than half of the cotton and peanuts acres are currently planted using CT, plus farmers are interseeding small grains for grazing into permanent pastures using the no-till drill. By saving an average of three trips across the field at a savings of $45/acre, farmers saved more than $671,000 on 14,923 acres planted. Due to the EQIP cost share programs available and rising production costs, farmers will more than likely be planting more acres using CT in 2006. With continued improvements in equipment, new technology and cutting edge research, farmers will be able to produce food and fiber more profitably. (2006)

Source

top