Long-term success with strip-till is tied to understanding your strip-till equipment management strategy and solid financial planning. Farmer, business consultant and seedsman Shay Foulk of Ag View Solutions provides a roadmap to gaining control of your farm metrics to improve your economic decision-making and planning.

As a budding soil scientist at the age of 5, Mike Petersen found himself digging in the dirt, puzzling over worms, grubs, ants, and the rich aroma of “alive” soil. Now, more than 50 years later, the independent soil consultant has spent decades researching how to produce high outputs from the seeds we plant — and do it sustainably.

Compare your strip-till practices to hundreds of other farmers across all regions of the U.S. in this interactive overview of the 2022 Strip-Till Benchmark Study results.

Although soil sampling is a foundation for managing nutrients effectively, many no-tillers would like to pinpoint plant nutrient deficiencies during the growing season before they happen. Utilizing plant sap analysis can show plant mineral levels and highlight nutritional deficiencies and excesses before they cause any damage, says John Kempf.

Adding diversity in the field comes with multiple benefits and offers strip-tillers great flexibility and potential extra income, says Ty Fickenscher of Axtell, Neb. The owner of Upward Ag Systems says intercropping and companion cropping can not only improve soil health by boosting biological diversity, they can also boost the bottom line by providing additional cash crops and/or grazing opportunities.

Cover crops have many demonstrated conservation and soil health benefits, yet their use is still limited by perceived financial fears: crop yield reduction or no short-term return.

According to University of Illinois professor David Bullock, the key to managing agricultural inputs well is to understand how weather, field characteristics and managed variables impact yield. Unfortunately, despite decades of experiments, there’s little clarity about this.

A panel of 3 successful strip-tillers, including Jon Stevens of Rock Creek, Minn., Ryan Shaw of Snover, Mich., and Ryan Nell of Beaver Dam Wis., share their plans for 2023, including equipment changes, how they’re dealing with high fertilizer and herbicide prices, environmental challenges they want to overcome, additions or changes to cropping rotation and more.

Achieving high yields on a consistent basis doesn’t happen accidentally. But adopting a systems management fertility program can help you realize critical success in your strip-till operation, says Chris Perkins.

Don’t miss an exclusive opportunity to come with your notes, questions, and comments in an all-new interactive Q&A session with conference presenters, sponsored by Youngblut Ag.