No-till has become the method of choice for sowing forages in the Ozarks, but it has its challenges.
In addition to planting precision, Tim Schnakenberg, agronomy specialist and co-Southwest District program leader for University of Missouri Extension, told Ozarks Farm & Neighbor no-till reduces soil erosion, conserves soil moisture and limits weed emergence. He said, “Without tillage, you’re keeping all of those little weed seeds in place. Sometimes it takes a flicker of light to germinate those seeds, particularly crabgrass and foxtail. If you’re doing tillage, in the tillage process it’s getting that flicker of light that stimulates germination of those weed seeds, whereas if you’re no-tilling you’re only disturbing a very small area in the furrow.”
Dr. John Jennings, University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service animal science professor and forage specialist, said no-till is preferable to broadcasting because the seed can be metered out more precisely and planted at a uniform depth. “When you broadcast, you’re spreading seed over the top,” Jennings told OFN. “Some of it may get planted at the right depth, some of it may be too deep, and some may be too shallow. We generally recommend increasing seeding rates about 10-20 percent for broadcast, compared to a no-till drill.”
The biggest problem with using no-till is the seed can get planted too deep. “That is the number one factor for stand failure using a no-till drill, and it’s very easy to do with wet soil conditions,” Jennings said. “Producers really need to look at the size of the seed they’re planting.”
Jennings also advised producers to keep the surface as clear of weeds and crop residue as possible so the drill can penetrate and to get good seed/soil contact. “We like to have a stubble of 2-3 inches or less, and in late winter that’s usually not a problem because fields are usually grazed through the winter and animals clean that off,” he said. If surface residue is excessive, it can be grazed, cut or even burned down.
A new no-till drill can cost $20,000-30,000; many Conservation Districts own machines for rent, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be available when you need them. Schnakenberg said, the best time to sow cool-season grasses like fescue, orchardgrass and brome is from late August to early September. “Getting a drill when it’s the ideal time, when everybody’s got the same idea, is sometimes challenging, and it’s not uncommon to be late September – early October before you can get your drill,” he said. “That’s a problem. If the soil is not highly erodible there may be some alternative methods of establishing forages; you can do some light tillage and use a conventional drill, if you have one of those available, and then roll it back in behind the conventional drill. That’s an option, too, but I’d rather take my chances of getting it in on time, if I can find other ways of getting seed-to-soil contact, than to just wait around until the drill’s available.”
And whereas legumes, like clover and lespedeza, can be broadcast successfully, Schnakenberg said grass needs to be drilled. “The name of the game is seed-to-soil contact,” he said. “A fluffy, light grass seed tends to stay up high above the soil line; it doesn’t get that seed-to-soil contact.”
