In their journey to build successful strip-till systems, growers often cite the need for patience, precision and payoff.
Early experimentation with equipment setups and fertilizer placement often leads to long-term investment in precision technology as strip-tillers work to meet their in-field objectives.
In an industry-first report, No-Till Farmer’s sister publication, Strip-Till Farmer, surveyed readers to evaluate how strip-tillers are building their systems and provide a foundation for future analysis.
The data reported in the 1st Strip-Till Operational Benchmark Study comes from more than 70 subscribers of No-Till Farmer’s Conservation Tillage Guide and Strip-Till Strategies e-newsletter who identified themselves as strip-tillers and filled out a 30-question survey.
After compiling the responses and crunching the numbers, we’ve assembled 50 notes and nuggets of information comparing strip-till practices, equipment use, fertility strategies and precision-farming techniques.
1. Strip-tillers tend to practice tillage diversity in their farming system, as they strip-till 54% of their acres, on average, with 11% strip-tilling their entire operation.
2. Corn is king for strip-tillers with 98% indicating they strip-till this crop. Soybeans are a distant second at 25%.
3. Strip-tillers are averaging 9.3 years in this reduced-tillage practice, with 30% having more than 10 years of experience — revealing a long-term commitment to the system with a substantial number of growers.
4. 70% of farmers have strip-tilled for 10 years or less, with 40% of that group strip-tilling for 5 years or less, revealing some…
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On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Martin-Till, precision specialist Chad Baker, co-owner of Baker Precision Planter Works in Orangeville, Ill., helps a first-generation no-tiller with planter setup, and later encounters a couple problems with a strip-tiller’s new 24-row planter. Plus, veteran agronomist Brad Forkner checks in with a couple tips for farmers to keep in mind before they take the field.
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