Rick Bieber - South Dakota

 

 

Rick Beiber is an inspiration to me. He farms in South Dakota and grows a variety of crops on 17" annual rainfall, the most impressive being corn, yielding up to 200 bu/acre (12.5 t/ha) on cover crop ground and up to 170 Bu (10.6 t/ha) after wheat.

In early 2009 I read an article about Rick Bieber similar to this in the VicNoTill magazine. That article, along with Wayne Smith's article, and our Bairnsdale trials, were my main encouragement to start growing corn. (Yes, I had to be told three times!)

An interesting quote from Rick: "No-till saves time, soil & water; Rotations manage time, soil & water."

Have a look at this video: Rick Bieber Presentation - video It is a little long (1 hr 18 min), however very worth your time, it may make you reconsider your current farming practises.

Other Links:
Rotations in No-till Dryland Farming
Rick dishes the dirt on US crops