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Farmers show big interest in strip tillage option Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Agri News staff writer
LAMBERTON, Minn. -- Strip till's popularity was evident at the recent Strip Till Expo at the Southwest Research and Outreach Center near Lamberton.
Close to 200 farmers attended the event that included research results, manufacturers' field demonstrations and the experiences of three farmers who use the method.
Strip till is very individualized, said Farm Business Management Extension educator Rob Holcomb.
Paul Gervais of Tracy uses strip tillage. He raises corn and soybeans on medium- to heavy clay soils in a rolling topography.
He uses a Rawlson 12-30 with a triple coulter pull-type with liquid fertilizer.
His fertilizer management includes 28 percent urea and hog manure.
An autopilot system makes chemical application easier, he said.
Last year was the first time he's chopped cornstalks with strip till, he said. Wet field conditions have been a challenge this year.
Brian Loeffler uses ridge till. He farms with his father, Harold and brother Brad near St. Clair.
They started ridge tilling in 1983 to address erosion issues. In 2004 they began using strip tillage on the ridges.
They fertilize in the fall.
The family likes the ridge till/strip till system because it maintains ridge height and helps with residue management. The higher ridges are also drier than other parts of the field.
They go about five to six years without cultivation when using the ridge till/strip till system.
Wind erosion can be a problem with ridges, he said.
Appleton farmer Larry Mahoney uses strip tillage. He took over the family farm when his parents retired nine years ago.
Fields had been conventionally tilled before he took over, he said. Mahoney wanted a system, that reduced tillage and placed fertilizer where it was needed.
Strip tillage has worked well in his heavy soils.
Mahoney raises corn and commercial seed beans.
Strip till has more opinions than information, Holcomb said. The differences of opinion include costs and labor. Farmers considering strip tillage should work out a spreadsheet and consider the system's cost.
An analysis and partial budget should be used to evaluate a tillage system. Holcomb encourages farmers to identify the changes that will occur and identify the costs that will increase or decrease as a result including changes of see, fertilizer, chemical, machinery and labor. GPS use is also recommenced, he said.
FINPACK can help analyze the cash flow and long-range plan.
A popular stop during the field day was the demonstration area where 12 manufacturers talked about and demonstrated strip till equipment.
While most strip till is done in fall, it can be done in the spring, Holcolm said. However, more data is needed to assess which practice is optimum. Many farmers used strip till this spring due to the wet fall.
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