What we’ve learned from strip-till

Growers are learning there’s no one best way to strip-till. “Strip-tillage means different things to different people,” points out Mark Hanna, Extension ag engineer at Iowa State University (ISU). “It’s attractive to a lot of farmers for various reasons.” In its early days, strip-till equipment was patterned after anhydrous-ammonia applicators, but has evolved to more iron, heavier toolbars and often, down-pressure springs he says.

“While strip-till is not a new practice,” says Liz Stahl, Extension educator, University of Minnesota, “It brings together the best of both worlds: the benefits of tillage in the crop row and the benefits of reduced tillage between crop rows.” Its benefits include warmer soil for earlier planting, fuel and labour savings; nutrients placed where they’re needed; residue management; and often, higher yields.

In the days of the moldboard plow, a straight furrow was a badge of honour among neighbours. Today’s strip-tillers are no exception. With attachments to place nutrients near the seed row, many growers are now switching to GPS auto-steer so planters match previously laid A-B lines and achieve maximize yields from reduced fertilizer input. “Previously we did not have RTK (real-time kinematic) on our planter tractor,” says Tom Muller, Windom, MN, who’s been strip-tilling corn since 1994. “Since we bought it, it’s exceeded our expectations. It even worked on side hills, compensating enough to keep the planter dead on.” Read more...

This blog is written by Martin Little The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine from Perendale Publishers.