I'm not sure how I got snookered into writing about what I've done wrong. Probably it's because I started direct seeding in 1987 long before it was fashionable. Information was scarce and I've had more time to make mistakes than most. The good news is that with a comprehensive strategy, direct seeding has allowed me to stop summerfallowing and maintain consistent yields due to increased moisture efficiency. This leads me to my first mistake.
I originally thought that a pass with a cultivator would be cheaper and more effective than a glyphosate burn off. the tillage wasted moisture and while I got the first flush of weeds I buried weed seeds and had more of an in-crop problem. Lesson 1: The more tillage the more you remove the moisture you have. This realization turned me into a zero till direct seeder.
The second, fourth and sixth mistakes involved residue management. This can be translated into (2) short stubble - no snow catch and too much straw on the ground which plugs the drill. (4) Too tall stubble catches snow in the field perimeter and perhaps keeps the ground too cool. (6) Poor chaff spreading which results in uneven surface moisture to seed oilseed into.
If there is too much tillage, chaff rows tie up nitrogen. This results in yellow strips in crop as well as increased weed growth. Now I try to straight combine everything leaving 12 inch tall stubble to match my drill spacing and chop and evenly spread straw and chaff. If you bury weed seeds they will likely grow. Less tillage means less weed growth. If you doubt this look at June summerfallow that you worked in May. Compare it to one that hasn't been worked. The weeds are larger where it wasn't worked but there are less of them. Try and relate this to direct seeding. Less tillage at seeding equals less weeds in crop. there is a qualifier here, don't let the desire for low disturbance lead you into compromising seed to soil contact.
Mistake #3 was not paying attention to crop rotations. My third year of barley resulted in root disease and a 10 bushel crop. Plan a rotation that works. I use cereal, pulse, cereal, oilseed. If you want risk, buy lottery tickets. At least with them you know what the risk costs you up front.
Mistake #5 was too much nitrogen fertilizer in a canola crop. This resulted in delayed emergence, poor crop competition and delayed maturity. This led to frost damage.
What was particularly annoying was I had already learned this lesson with cereals with seed placed urea and thought side banding would give me immunity. 125 lb of actual N (250 lb of product) was too much even with 3/4 inch seed-fertilizer separation. Had I placed nitrogen with seed I would have had very expensive fallow. To be concise, seed placed fertilizer is sure to give you a kick in the teeth sooner or later. You could try explaining to your banker that it probably happens one year in four and see if he understands.
To conclude I've made lots of mistakes. Zero till direct seeding virtually eliminates erosion. The moisture efficiency will compensate for the aggravation of sorting through the system and should make you more profitable.
The qualifier here is that zero till is a complex management strategy that rewards the thoughtful integration of a host of variables. Read all you can, attend the Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association's Direct Seeding conference or Man-Dak Zero-Till Association conference. Don't try to BS or bluff your way through. No-till is not forgiving.
Remember the only bad mistake is a repeated one. I've promised myself that if I ever have a year without a mistake I will retire because I will never have another year like it.