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Articles by Ian Gronau

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Starting Out in Strip-Till

An Innovative Strip-Till System Can Overcome Climate, Soil Challenges

Minnesota farmer Lance Petersen shares how he shed his strip-till training wheels by improvising equipment solutions to accommodate his sandy loam soils.
By Ian Gronau posted on November 24, 2015 | Posted in Strip-Till Farming 101
Lance Petersen and his father Chuck have only been strip-tilling on their 750 acre farm in Rush City, Minn., since 2011, but they’ve already seen the practice weather the best and worst conditions they can imagine.
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3 Strip-Tilling Tips From a ‘Regenerative Agriculturist’

Minnesota farmer Rod Sommerfield has found a great ally in strip-till as he works to return his farm’s soils to the nutrient level and health they saw 150 years ago.
By Ian Gronau posted on November 10, 2015 | Posted in Soil Health

One thing Mazeppa, Minn., strip-tiller and no-tiller Rod Sommerfield isn't short on is ambition. As a strong proponent of regenerative agriculture, his hopes for the future of the farm that's been in his family since 1892 are bold. Rod and his son Rick now manage the farm, and they've zeroed in on a goal to ramp down inputs.

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Refining Residue Management and Cover Crops in a Strip-Till System

The Sass family from Streator, Ill., are veteran strip-tillers, but adding cover crops and more sophisticated residue management practices have further improved their productivity.
By Ian Gronau posted on October 27, 2015 | Posted in Cover Crops
With the better part of two decades of strip-tilling under their belts, the Sass family in Streator, Ill., could be considered veterans of the practice. On their 2,600-acre farm, many of the methods they employ are tried and true, but they have a flair for innovation and are constantly running tests to build upon their best practices.
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Looking at Strip-Tilled Corn From the Roots Up

Veteran agronomist Mike Petersen, offers his hard won conclusions about strip-tilled corn’s root structure.
By Ian Gronau posted on October 13, 2015 | Posted in Nutrient Management, Soil Health
Mike Petersen dug his first soil pit 34 years ago. More than 1,500 digs later, he has determined that strip-till and accurate nutrient applications can achieve 300-bushel corn more efficiently and affordably than conventional tillage.
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Managing Inputs & Residue on High-Yield, Strip-Tilled Corn

Strip-tilling and variable-rate practices revolutionized Illinois farmer, Kevin Kennedy’s practices. But each change requires some fine-tuning for peak results.
By Ian Gronau posted on August 25, 2015 | Posted in Soil Health
Kevin Kennedy has shaken things up on his 3,200-acre farm in Walnut, Ill., over the last few years. He switched from conventional tillage to strip-tilled corn 3 years ago and did the same for soybeans last year.
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Starting Out In Strip-Till

10 Bankable Takeaways from the National Strip-Tillage Conference

The 2015 event showcased cutting edge techniques used by top practitioners for attendees to take home to put into practice in their strip-till operations.
By Ian Gronau posted on August 11, 2015 | Posted in Strip-Till Farming 101
Building on the success of the inaugural event in 2014 the 2nd annual National Strip-Tillage Conference, held Aug. 5-6, featured more than 20 presentations and 30 roundtable discussions. The event, held in Iowa City, Iowa, brought together a diverse group of top strip-tillers, consultants and researchers who shared experience-based tips and techniques that both veteran and recent adopters of strip-till can put to work immediately in their operations.
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Working to Perfect a Spring Strip-Till System

The Rebout farm in Janesville, Wis., adopted strip-till 15 years ago and constantly experiments to streamline a one-pass spring system.
By Ian Gronau posted on July 23, 2015 | Posted in Nutrient Management

Some farmers see switching to strip-till as a leap of faith. Luckily, for the Rebout family in Janesville, Wis., it was a gamble that paid off both immediately and in the long run.


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Spreading out the Strip-Till Workload to Maximize Productivity

Princeton Ill., strip-tiller Jim Rapp capitalizes on the benefits of both fall and spring strip-tillage with a flexible approach and timed fertilizer applications.
By Ian Gronau posted on July 21, 2015 | Posted in Seeding & Planting
Farming in Princeton, Ill., with his sons, Nick and Ben, Jim Rapp re-adopted strip-tilling about 4 years ago, after a brief trial in the 1990s prior to the development and widespread adoption of GPS navigation.
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Nutrient Management

How High-Yield Strip-Tillers are Managing Nitrogen After a Wet Spring

Many farmers recovering from a punishing rainy season may be starting to wonder how their nitrogen programs fared. Three strip-tillers share their experience-based best practices.
By Ian Gronau posted on July 7, 2015 | Posted in Nutrient Management
In some respects, strip-tillers who band fertilizer in their strips enjoy a distinct advantage in terms of nitrogen (N) management over other tillage practices. After an exceptionally rainy spring, many farmers throughout the country may be starting to worry about N that may have washed away.
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Simplifying and Streamlining Farm Operations with Strip-Till

Ashland, Neb., farmer Jim Kucera finds that strip-till prepares his seedbed in a fashion best suited to combat weeds, heavy rainfall and erosion.
By Ian Gronau posted on June 23, 2015 | Posted in Seeding & Planting
In spring 2015, Jim Kucera's Ashland, Neb., farm had been deluged with heavy rains. The same was true for many Nebraska farmers faced with delayed planting, severe ponding and in some cases, replanting. Kucera certainly felt the pinch, but he says it's not nearly as bad as it would have been if he didn't switch to strip-till on his 700 acres of corn and 600 acres of soybeans about 5 years ago.
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What I Learned from My First Year Strip-Tilling

What I Learned from My First Year Strip-Tilling

Leo Johnson and his son, Patrick, are planting corn into strips for the first time in southern Wisconsin. Leo and Patrick discuss how their strip-till maiden voyage has gone so far in this preview of Leo’s 2024 National Strip-Tillage Conference presentation, “What I Learned from My First Year Strip-Tilling.” The conference takes place Aug. 8-9 in Madison, Wis. Download the full program and register at StripTillConference.com.
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Montag Mfg

Montag products have proven results with patented precision metering application for significant savings of nutrients and cover crop seed, and for achieving best conservation practices.

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Environmental Tillage Systems is a leading manufacturer of strip-till and nutrient-management equipment which enhances soil productivity and farm profitability.
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Kuhn Krause, Inc

Kuhn Krause's focus, above all, is to continue to produce quality products to serve producers better; to strive to respond to their needs with new tools and new technology to meet their growing challenges. Agronomic practices are constantly changing, and at a faster pace now than ever.
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