| | | During the Summer of 2011, my brother Joe and I built our first strip-till bar and bought a Montag fertilizer cart. We also started experimenting with vertical tillage in the Fall of 2011 because we wanted to find a way to dry and smooth out the soil so we could no-till our soybeans. Since then we have converted our farm over to strip-till for our corn and vertical-till for our soybeans. Strip-tillage is only tilling a 12" wide area where the row of corn or beans will grow and deep banding fertilizer in this area. Strip tillage allows a farmer to place fertilizer right where the plant needs it, reduces tillage, reduces erosion, and with good soil testing should allow a farmer to cut fertilizer. It also builds soil structure which could be the biggest benefit we have seen from strip-till.
Since we began strip-tilling in 2011, we have had a lot of people asking us about the technology, science, costs, and functionality of how to make strip-till a part of their operation. Joe is more of the agronomic guy and I “Matt” is more of the machinery guy. We have both been asked to speak at different field days and seminars about water quality and our experiences strip-tilling. If you are interested in strip-till we can help to advise you. If you are a land owner seeking tenants that use strip-till we are interested in talking!
Many water quality initiatives around the state of Iowa have cost share money available for different practices. We ask you to try one out and let us do some custom strips on your own operation as a tool to help assist you to make the switch. The long term potential to innovate in the area of more efficient fertilizer placement is tremendous considering Iowa's Nutrient Reduction Strategy to reduce nutrients flowing down the Mississippi River.
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