For some farmers, their early transition to strip-till conjures up fond memories of higher yields or improved fertilizer placement, while for others, building those first berms serves more as reminder of how far they’ve come in their operation. Looking back on a decade of striptilling, Mike Shuter recalls both the pains and the gains encountered on 2,500 acres of strip-tilled corn at Shuter Sunset Farms in Frankton, Ind.

Building the perfect berm doesn’t happen overnight. Practice makes perfect when setting your fields up for success with good seed-to-soil contact and residue management. For more than 15 years, crop and equipment consultant Kevin Kimberley has worked with strip-tillers to set up their rigs by picking the right row unit setup and troubleshooting problems that arise from an imperfect strip.