The No-Till Transition (Farmer Panel)

Daniel Austin, Green Sprig Farm, Rocky Mount, VA

Mr. Austin works with his father and two brothers on a 110 cow dairy with 435 cropland acres, with plans to milk an additional sixty cows. They grow corn silage, several other forage crops, soybeans, and certified seed grade barley and triticale. They have been strict no-till since 2005, but made attempts in the 70s and have been no-tilling all their small grain since the late 80’s. In addition to the soil erosion they were witnessing, the Austin’s went to no-till to save time.

Anthony Beery, Beery Farms, Mount Crawford, VA

Mr. Beery works with his family on a 300 cow dairy, with 3 broiler-breeder houses and 400 acres of cropland. He grows corn, barley, and triticale silage and incorporates vetch and radishes into the barley and triticale. Limits on nutrient application affected Beery’s struggle in his transition to no-till cropping, but within five years he began seeing soil improvements and improved nutrient cycling, and he sees a lot of benefit now.

Bobby Clark, Agriculture Extension Agent, Woodstock, VA

Bobby Clark received a Bachelors degree in Agronomy from Virginia Tech in 1987 and a Masters degree with focus in Soil Science from North Carolina State University in 1995. Bobby worked as an Agriculture Extension Agent in North Carolina from 1987 through 1996 and has served as an Extension Agent housed in Shenandoah County Virginia from 1996 to present. Major efforts for the past several years include focusing on techniques for managing slugs in no-till corn and soybean; improving farm profitability and water quality by improving nitrogen use efficiency in corn production; developing sound alternatives for managing large animal mortality; and educating landowners about conservation easements.

Paul Davis, Retired Agriculture Extension Agent, Davis Produce, New Kent, VA

Paul Davis farms 250 acres in Virginia’s Coastal Plain with his dad. They strive to rotate the following four crops over a two year period: corn – wheat or barley – double crop soybeans – rye/vetch/radish. They no-tilled their first small grains in the late 90’s, but had worked in no-tilling pumpkins prior to that. Mr. Davis struggled with getting a good small grain stand following corn harvest, but fine tuning his seed drill has led to success. He has noticed that older farmers in his area have eliminated tillage, thereby saving time, and allowing them to continue farming on their own.

DJ Myers, Walkup Holsteins, Dayton, VA

February Conference Speakers

Missy Bauer, Top Field Agronomist and Corn Belt On-farm Test Plot Specialist

Missy Bauer, Crop Consultant, B&M Consulting, Coldwater MI; Farm Journal, Corn College

Missy Bauer is an independent crop consultant with B&M Consulting out of Coldwater, MI. She acts as the Farm Journal Associate Field Agronomist and coordinates the Farm Journal Test Plots in the eastern Corn Belt.

Missy also is an agronomist for Corn College TV which airs on RFD-TV and some local affiliates. Missy hosts Corn College Fundamentals and Soybean College in Coldwater, MI in addition to helping Ken Ferrie with Corn College in Heyworth, IL. Previously, Missy had been a field agronomist with The Andersons for eight years. She coordinated agronomy research farms in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio which were used to educate customers on agronomic practices, test new products and systems, and to evaluate current products.

Bauer holds a B.S. degree from Michigan State University where she majored in Crop and Soil Science and an M.S. degree in Agronomy from Purdue University under Dr. Tony Vyn. Her M.S. research and thesis work studied “The Feasibility of Fall Strip Tillage for Corn Production in Indiana”. She completed her Masters degree and graduated from Purdue University with a 4.0 GPA in April of 2001. Missy is also an active certified crop advisor (CCA).

Bauer is originally from Grant, MI where she grew up on a cash crop and cattle farm along with her five older brothers and four sisters. Missy resides in Coldwater, MI with her husband who is also an independent crop consultant with B&M Consulting.

Bobby Clark, Agriculture Extension Agent, Woodstock, VA

Richard Fitzgerald, Area Cropland Agronomist, USDA-NRCS, Verona, VA

Richard Fitzgerald has served as Area Cropland Agronomist for NRCS covering the Shenandoah Valley and northern Piedmont regions of Virginia since February 2010. Mr. Fitzgerald’s focus with NRCS is promoting improved integration of nutrient management into conservation cropping systems.

Prior to joining NRCS, Richard served for twenty years as a Nutrient Management Planner and Supervisor with Virginia’s Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) covering the Shenandoah Valley region. Mr. Fitzgerald also has approximately four decades of experience running significant agricultural enterprises including a liquid fertilizer business, a 150-cow dairy and 1,200 acre crop operation, a 250-head cow/calf herd, and a retail pumpkin farm.

Mr. Fitzgerald earned his Bachelor’s degree in Agronomy from Virginia Tech in 1979. He is a Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) and a Certified Virginia Nutrient Management Planner.

Dr. Joel Gruver, Professor at Western Illinois University and Illinois Soils & Cover Crop Expert

Joel Gruver, Assistant Professor, Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL

Dr. Joel Gruver discovered his fascination with crops and soils at a young age on his family’s small farm in rural Maryland. His formal education includes a BS in Chemistry from Principia College (Elsah, IL), an MS in Agronomy from the University of Maryland (College Park, MD) and a PhD in Soil Science from North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC). He has taught courses related to soil science and agroecology at Tufts University, Principia College, North Carolina State University, Central Carolina Community College and Western Illinois University where he is currently an assistant professor and manages an 80 acre research farm.

Recent research has focused on cover crops and their value in suppressing weeds, improving nutrient cycling, building soil organic matter and alleviating compaction.

Wade Thomason, Extension Grains Specialist/Associate Professor, Virginia Tech/Virginia Cooperative Extension, Blacksburg, VA

Dr. Thomason is an Associate Professor and the Extension Grain Crops Specialist for the commonwealth of Virginia. In this role, he provides state-wide leadership for extension and research programs in production and management of corn and small grains. He holds an M.S. in agronomy and Ph.D. in soil science from Oklahoma State University. Wade’s extension and research programs focus on profitable, grain-based cropping systems.