Conservation tillage book and
CD-ROM hit the market    

[MARCH 8, 2004]  URBANA -- Any farmer currently using or thinking about adopting a conservation tillage system has two innovative and comprehensive resources available from MidWest Plan Service and created through the efforts of more than 60 university and industry specialists.

The book "Conservation Tillage Systems and Management" has been expanded to 270 pages for the second edition and provides information for corn, soybean, wheat and cotton farmers. The new "Conservation Tillage" CD-ROM includes the entire book, plus four shorter books, video clips and PowerPoint presentations in an easy-to-use format.

"The benefits of conservation tillage include soil erosion management, water conservation, lower input costs and labor efficiency," said Ted Funk, agricultural engineer at the University of Illinois.

According to Funk, these resources from MidWest Plan Service are an excellent value for people interested in learning more about conservation tillage. The second edition of "Conservation Tillage Systems and Management" provides detailed discussions about virtually all aspects of the subject.

Among the book's 29 chapters are sections devoted to crop response to tillage systems, costs and returns, wind and water erosion, and water quality. Also included are chapters about nutrient management; weed, insect, rodent, and disease management; residue management at harvest; estimating residue cover; and converting CRP land to crop production.

Other chapters explain tillage system selection and describe no-till and ridge-till planting equipment, no-till drills, row-crop cultivators, and pesticide application equipment. Line drawings, color photographs and 72 tables enhance the text and provide visual examples of the book's main points. The book also has two appendixes, which depict representative tillage implements and present rainfall and temperature data maps.

"Conservation Tillage Systems and Management" was prepared under the direction of the MidWest Plan Service Crop Production Committee, chaired by Randall Reeder, an agricultural engineer at Ohio State University.

Reeder says the "Conservation Tillage" CD-ROM, which was produced in cooperation with the Conservation Tillage Information Center and John Deere, has many high-tech features that make it an ideal companion for the print version of the book, not to mention a valuable resource for farmers, consultants and educators. Those features include:

• Two new chapters on precision agriculture.
• Four shorter books on soil quality, the economics of environmental practices, plant biotechnology and the history of no-till.
• Fourteen PowerPoint presentations, including six with the voice of the presenter and three with notes.
• Several short video clips, typically 10 to 45 seconds.

• Six historic movie clips of the Dust Bowl and one on water erosion.

"Conservation Tillage Systems and Management" and the CD-ROM (MWPS-45) are available for $25 each. If ordered together, the price is $35, a 30 percent discount. Shipping and handling is $5.50 for single copies. Contact MidWest Plan Service for shipping rates and possible quantity discounts on multiple copies.

You may order online at www.mwpshq.org, by phone at [phone], by fax at [phone], by e-mail at [e-mail] or by postal mail from MidWest Plan Service, 122 Davidson Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011-3080. Visa and MasterCard are accepted, and checks should be made payable to MWPS.

For more information about MidWest Plan Service, call the toll-free number above or visit the website, www.mwpshq.org.

[University of Illinois news release]

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