Advancing the art of zero tillage depends on a willingness to ask questions. Zero till has grown because producers have asked themselves, other no-tillers, and agricultural scientists "why" and "how".

When the answer wasn't readily available, they looked for the answers. They encouraged researchers to work on zero tillage in their studies. They became involved in directing research through research department advisory committees. They did their own on-farm research and, in cases such as the Area IV Research Farm at Mandan, North Dakota and the Manitoba Zero Tillage Research Association Farm at Brandon, they created their own organization to develop farm-scale zero tillage research programs.

Information, ideas and opinions are important ingredients in each zero till farmers search for their appropriate production system.

Below are listed the information sources which will be good first contacts in the search for answers to your zero tillage questions .

CONTACT NAMES AND ADDRESSES (1997)

U.S.A.

Dakota Lakes Research Centre

Box 2, Pierre, South Dakota, 57501

Telephone (605) 224-6357 Fax (605) 224-0845

Contact: Dwayne Beck

USDA - Agriculture Research Service

Area IV SCD-ARS Research Farm,

Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory

P.O. Box 459, Mandan, ND, 58554

Telephone (701) 663-6445 Fax (701) 667-3054

Current contact: Ardell Halvorson

Email "halvorsa@mandan.ars.usda.gov"

NDSU - Extension Service

Morrill Hall Room 315

Box 5626, Fargo, ND 58105 U.S.A.

Telephone (701) 231-7240 Fax (701) 231-1008

Current contact: Vern Hofman

Email "vhofman@ndsuext.nodak.edu"

USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Services

220 East Rosser Ave,

P.O. Box 1458 Bismark, ND, 58502-1458 U.S.A.

Telephone (701) 250-4425 Fax (701) 250-4778

Current contact: Alan Ness

Email "alan.ness@nd.nrcs.usda.gov"

Canada

Manitoba Zero Tillage Research Farm

Brandon Research Centre

Box 1000A RR#3, Brandon, R7A 5Y3

Current contact: Ron Gares or Doug Derksen

Email "derksen@em.agr.ca"

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (PFRA)

Brandon Research Centre, Box 1000B RR#3, Brandon, R7A 5Y3

Current contact: Bob Bradley Email "bbradley@em.agr.ca"

Ag-Quest Inc. - Conservation Productivity Centre

Box 144, Minto, MB, Canada R0K 1M0

Telephone (204) 776-2087 Fax (204) 776-2250

Contact: David Rourke Email "agquest@agquest.com"

Indian Head Experimental Farm

Research Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada,

Box 760, Indian Head, SK, S0G 2K0

Telephone (306) 695-2274 Fax (306) 695-3445

Current contact: Guy Lafond Email "lafond@em.agr.ca"

Manitoba Agriculture, Soils and Crops Branch

Box 1149, Carman, MB ROG OJO

Telephone (204) 745-2040 Fax (204) 745-2299

Contact: Daryl Domitruk Email "soilcrop@gov.mb.ca"

Ducks Unlimited Canada

Box 1160, 1 Mallard Bay, Hwy 20, Stonewall, MB, R0C 2Z0

Telephone (204) 467-3000 Fax (204) 467-9028

Contact: Bill Poole Email "webfoot@ducks.ca"

USEFUL PUBLICATIONS:

Zero Tillage Production Manual (1991) and Integrated Insect Management on Zero Till Fields (1994)

Manitoba-North Dakota Zero Tillage Farmers Association

Available from Manitoba and North Dakota addresses

No-Till Farmer Newsletter,

Frank Lessiter Publishers

P.O. Box 624, Brookfield, WI 53008-0624,

Telephone (414) 782-4480,

Fax (414) 782-1252,

Email "Lesspub@aol.com"

Direct Seeding Manual (1994)

Produced by: PAMI and Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association

Indian Head, Saskatchewan

No-till Guidelines for the Arid and Semi-Arid Prairies,

South Dakota State University and USDA

Available from Dwayne Beck at Pierre (see above)

Conservation Tillage Systems and Management,

Mid-West Plan Service #45,

Agriculture and Biological Engineering

Dept., Box 5626, North Dakota State University,

Fargo, ND 58105

Conservation Farming Guide and Conservation Tillage News

Alberta Conservation Tillage Society,

Box 326, Carbon, Alberta, Canada T0M 0L0

Contact: Russ Evans Fax (403) 572-3600

Email "acts@telusplanet.net"

Seeding on the edge Alberta Newsletter

Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development,

Conservation and Development Branch, Provincial Building,

Box 159, Fairview, Alberta, Canada T0H 1L0

Current contact: John Zylstra, Fax (403) 835-3600

Email "zylstra@agric.gov.ab.ca"

Pacific Northwest Conservation Tillage Systems Handbook

Washington State University and University of Idaho.

Conservation Farming Manual

Wimmera Conservation Farming Assoc., Victoria, Australia.

Contact: Peter Berg, Telephone 011 61 53 811-255 Fax 829-388

WANTFA Newsletter

Western Australian No Tillage Farmers Association

Current contact: Bill Crabtree Fax 011 61 90 83-1100

Guide to Crop Protection and related publications

Manitoba Agriculture, at any local office.

Weed Control Guide (W-253), Field Crops Fungicide Guide (PP622), and North Dakota Field Crop Management Guide-Insects (ER-22)

NDSU Extension Distribution Center, Box 5655, North Dakota State U., Fargo, ND, 58105 Email "dctr@ndsuext.nodak.edu"

Crop Residue Management to Reduce Erosion and Improve Soil Quality

and CTIC Partners magazine

Conservation Technology Information Centre

1220 Potter Drive, Room 170 West Lafayette, Indiana

Telephone (765) 494-9555 Fax (765) 494-5969

Email "ctic@ctic.purdue.edu" or see "www.ctic.purdue.edu:"