FACT FILE
Name
Nathan Franklin
Name of Operation
N and A Farms
Location
Rawlins County (KS)
Crops
Corn, wheat and milo
Photo: Misty Horinek
Patience and Perspective
Prove No-Till Leads
to Big Yields
Semi-arid conditions, inconsistent moisture and
tricky soils can be quite a handful some years for farmers
in northwest Kansas. But not for Nathan Franklin and
his family. Since they began using no-till 20 years ago,
the results have been phenomenal … lower costs, better
organic matter and higher yields.
“We first implemented no-till in the early 1990s. After we saw those results then we went full time in the
early 2000s,” says Nathan, who operates a family farm in
Atwood, Kan., along with his father. “The main things
that prompted us [to try no-till] were the higher yields
and reduced inputs.”
Nathan says no-till helped them lower fuel usage
75 to 80 percent by eliminating costly tillage trips across
the field. He believes that it is more efficient to control
weeds chemically than with tillage, which requires more
fuel than spraying. In addition, Nathan says auto-steer
and RTK technology allow him to be accurate to within
an inch when planting or spraying. “It minimizes overlap, so you don’t overspray [or waste seed],” he explains.
According to Nathan, no-till also has helped him
double the organic matter to approximately 3 percent
across the farm. With better organic matter, he doesn’t
have to apply as much fertilizer, which also reduces
input costs.
Without tilling, Nathan also sees that the little
moisture he gets – about 22 inches annually – stays in the
fields. “The residue on the soil really breaks up the rain
so it can be better absorbed. Our soils can hold quite a
bit of water [because of no-till],” he says. This holding
capacity is critical during those periods when moisture
is scarce.
However, he observes, the biggest impact of no-till
has been in the yields. “We have had tremendous yields
[since switching to no-till],” says Nathan, who entered
his first National Corn Growers Association (NCGA)
yield contest in 2011. “We yielded nearly 288 bushels of
corn an acre, which was second highest in our state [in
the no-till/strip-till irrigated category] and the 16thhighest yield nationally.”
The emergence of no-till has had an impact on the
types of crops being produced in western Kansas, explains Nathan. “When I was in high school [10 years ago]
we had wheat on 70 to 80 percent of our land and never
Soil Types
Keith and Kuma silt loams
Organizations
National Corn Growers
Association (NCGA)
Awards
2nd place (KS) and 16th
nationally in the 2011 NCGA
Yield Contest in the No-Till/
Strip-Till Irrigated Category
“We have had tremendous yields [since
switching to no-till]. We yielded nearly
288 bushels of corn an acre...”
really grew corn,” he says. “Now, we grow corn on about
60 percent of our farm and wheat on about 30 percent.”
In addition to corn and wheat, Nathan also no-tills milo.
One of the biggest challenges Nathan has been able
to overcome is cooler soil temperatures at planting time,
often a reason cited by farmers for not utilizing no-till.
Strip-till, according to Nathan, can help warm up the
soils in the spring, particularly when planting corn. “We
equip our planter with a row cleaner to clean out the
trash at planting time. This provides more sunlight to
help warm up the soil,” he says. “Plus, we choose the best
hybrids with cold vigor packages.”
Overcoming cooler soil temperatures didn’t occur
right away. It took a little time for the Franklins to sort
through it, but they stayed committed to conservation
agriculture. “It’s a different way of doing things. There’s
a whole new set of equipment. You’re not using plows,
but sprayers,” he explains.
Nathan believes it’s important to come up with a
game plan in order to be successful with conservation agriculture. It’s not an exact science sometimes, he advises,
but farmers should look for solutions to the problems.
“We like to try things out on about a quarter of a section
– approximately 160 acres – to see what does and doesn’t
work,” he says. “Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see
results right away. Be patient and you will see the yields.”
By following that simple advice, there are sure to be
more farmers like Nathan who will have a new perspective on the impact conservation agriculture can have on
their bottom line.
For more on implementing conservation-based production practices such as those used by Nathan Franklin, farmers
can contact their nearby university Extension office to speak
with an expert. Additional resources can be accessed through
www.HarvestingThePotential.org.