Andrew Focht is a former NRCS soil conservation technician, and on top of farming, he runs a financial planning business. His experience in all 3 roles influences the way he manages his Villisca, Iowa, strip-till operation. Not only does he focus on improving his bottom line with increased nutrient use efficiency, but he also tries to build soil health and increase organic matter with cover crops and biologicals. 

“After working as a soil conservation technician for 11 years, I saw conservation practices work well for different people across Iowa,” Focht says. “I was intrigued by how strip-till minimizes soil disturbance and also places nutrients right where the plant needs them.”

Focht bought an Environmental Tillage Systems 12-row SoilWarrior in July 2022, and after attending the National Strip-Tillage Conference just a few weeks later, he was ready to transition his 650 acres of continuous corn to 100% strip-till.

“The conference was an eye-opening experience,” Focht says. “I was able to talk to other strip-tillers and make a lot of friends. Now when I have a question about something strip-till related, I have a network of people I can call.”

Two-Pass System

After talking it over with his agronomist, Scott Mattes from Precision Land Service, and analyzing various soil and tissue tests, Focht settled on a 2-pass system with his SoilWarrior. First, he makes strips 6 inches deep in the fall while applying 50 pounds of phosphorus (P) and 60 pounds of potassium (K). 

He comes back in the spring with 85 total pounds of urea and ESN at a mix of 60% urea and 40% ESN, 10 pounds of potash, 6 pounds of zinc, 20 pounds of sulfur and 5 pounds of humics before planting corn in 30-inch rows.

“My agronomist and I took what we learned from our first year strip-tilling and modified our plan a little bit,” Focht says. “That first year, we did 3 different rate trials. Based on those results, I dropped my P and K about 30%, but when I lowered my nitrogen by 50%, the crop really took a hit.”

Focht is still trying to figure out the best fertilizer rates for his farm, but his goals are clear. He wants to slash his fertilizer bill by 25% and use only 0.8 pounds of N per bushel, which is about 0.3-0.4 pounds less than he’s used in years past.

Start Me Up

Focht supplements the dry nutrients applied with the strip-till rig with a custom starter fertilizer blend that he tweaks every planting season. In 2024, he laced it with a liquid chicken manure product from Mutiny Crop Performance.

“They just came out with it last winter, and I’m trying it for the first time,” Focht says. “It’s a 4-17-0, and I’m applying 1 gallon per acre. I’m trying to get more biology around the seed. Chicken manure is always great if you can get it, and we’ll see how well it worked at harvest later in the year.”

Focht’s starter mix for 2024 also included Stoller’s Bio-Forge Advanced stress mitigator, Stoller’s Fortified plant growth regulator, Mosaic Crop Nutrition’s BioPath biological for N and P uptake, liquid microbial food product PhycoTerra, and XyWay fungicide. He adds about 5 gallons of water per acre to supplement the mix.

Focht applies the starter mix with a custom-built Totally Tubular Y-system on his Kinze 4900 planter, which delivers the mix to the edge of the trench, not directly on top of the seed. He’s observed better plant health since implementing the starter program.

“The crops with starter fertilizer mature faster than the crops without it,” Focht says. “Emergence is about the same, but now I have better plant health throughout the entire growing season. I’m seeing the crop stay green for a longer amount of time.”

Adapt-N Apply

Focht and Mattes use an online program called Adapt-N to determine in-season nutrient application rates. The program integrates 13 different models, including weather, soil and crop models, to provide variable rate recommendations.

“You type in your planting dates, soil tests, soil types, what you’ve applied, rainfall data, etc.,” Focht says. “The program puts it all together and calculates how much N has been lost and what rates need to be applied to meet our yield goal.”

He uses a broadcast rig to topdress N and sulfur at variable rates around V5-V6 based on the Adapt-N recommendations, so he’s only applying what the crop needs.

“It can range from 50 pounds per acre to up to 220 pounds,” Focht says. “The N we apply is in the form of either ESN, urea or both, depending on what the program calls for.”

Healthier Soil, Higher Yields

Focht plants cover crops on all his strip-till acres to boost soil biology and build organic matter, which in turn helps feed the crop. He aerially applies 20 pounds of cereal rye and 20 pounds of wheat in the fall before making his strips.

“I’ve noticed when I make the strips, I’m pushing the cover crop seed out to the side, which is a good thing,” Focht says. “I have a much better cover crop stand in between the rows than in the strips. I don’t have to worry about termination quite as much, and I have a nice buffer between the cover crop and the seed zone.”

Focht also uses a biological product in the fall to help break down residue over the winter. It helped solve a residue problem he encountered a couple years ago when wind blew corn stalks over the row, and heavy rainfall created a big mat, forcing him to replant 30 acres. 

“Strip-till helps a lot with residue management,” Focht says. “There isn’t much residue left in the spring. It’s nice to plant into the strip, knowing all my fertility is there, and the soil biology in and around the strip is in good shape because we’re not disturbing the entire field.”

Focht is only in year 3 of his strip-till system, which means he’s still learning something new all the time about nutrient management. But he’s off to a good start, with yields increasing each year since he switched to strip-till and started making multiple nutrient applications.

“The last 2 years, I had the best crops I’ve ever raised,” Focht says. “I averaged 246 bushels per acre and had my first ever 300-bushel field in 2023. I feel good about what I’m doing and I’m just trying to learn all the time. It taxes my brain because I always think, ‘What can I do better?’ My biggest limiting factor on yield is myself.”