[Video] ‘Precision Applied Tillage’: The Story Behind the First Strip-Till Rig

Ricky Brown of Brown Manufacturing developed the first-ever commercial strip-till machine with Leo and Jerril Hardin in Alabama in 1972. Marketed in the South under the name Brown-Hardin, it hit the Corn Belt in 1984 as the Bush Hog Ro-Till.

“You know the old saying about the pioneer? That’s the fellow with his face in the mud and the arrow in his back,” Brown says. ‘We were the pioneers. Somebody had to start it. We’re glad we did because it’s helped people across the whole nation.”

In this exclusive interview, Brown shares the origin story of the groundbreaking invention, explains why dealers were slow to hop on board at first, reflects on strip-till research across the southeast and discusses why strip-till is gaining steam.