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Strip Till:Tillage for Today and Tomorrow
Jodi DeJong-HughesRegional Extension Educator, Marshall
320-815-4112 cell507-337-2816
Strip TillageFall: 7-9” strips are cleared
P and K are banded within strips in fall
Shovel shank lifts soil and closing discs creates a berm
Seed planted directly in cleared strips in Spring
Nitrogen can be applied during fall pass, at planting or side-dressed
Strip TillageLoosens the soil in the row
Maintains surface residue between the rows
Potential for one-pass across field
Increases water infiltration
Less energy required and less erosion than conventional systems
Other Strip Till Benefits
Love and admiration by your neighbors
Can qualify for EQIP programs
May qualify for Carbon crediting
Strip Till Machines
Coulter Style ST Units
Want to have a clean berm about 3-6” high
By Spring the berm will be 0-2”
Concerns About Strip Till
Soil won’t warm up as fast
Too much residue to manage
Sacrifice yields
Equipment costs
No one to talk to about problems or concerns
Soil Temperatures
58.1o in ST row 2” depth
53.6o between row 2” depth
30.0
35.040.0
45.050.0
55.0
60.065.0
70.075.0
80.0
4/20/2001 4/25/2001 4/30/2001 5/5/2001 5/10/2001 5/15/2001 5/20/2001 5/25/2001 5/30/2001
TE
MPE
RA
TA
UR
E (O
F)
Date Planted 5-01-01
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
50.0
55.0
60.0
65.0
70.0
75.0
80.0
4/15/2002 4/20/2002 4/25/2002 4/30/2002 5/5/2002 5/10/2002 5/15/2002 5/20/2002 5/25/2002 5/30/2002
TE
MPE
RA
TA
UR
E (O
F)
Date Planted 5-02-02
Monsanto COE, Madison, MN 2 inch depth
Strip Till
Conventional Till
40
50
60
70
80
90
117
118
118
118
119
119
119
119
120
120
120
120
121
121
121
121
122
122
122
123
Day of Year
35
45
55
65
75
8511
411
4
115
115
115
116
116
117
117
118
118
118
119
119
120
120
121
Day of Year
Strip Tillage Study – NDSU Pre-Plant Soil Temps
L. Overstreet, N. Cattanach, S. Gegner
Prosper, ND
Moorhead, MN
STRIP 1"STRIP 3"CONV 1"CONV 3"
Cont. Corn Tillage Study - UMN
Tillage treatments:MBP (Moldboard Plow)Rip (Disc-ripped)ST (Strip Tillage)
Evaluate:Carbon loss, soil temps, % residue, stands, yield, test weight, % moisture
J. DeJong-Hughes, L. Stahl
Soil Temps at Planting
TRT 2006 2007
MBP 65.3 55.7
DR 62.3 54.7
ST 65.4 54.2LSD (0.05) NS 0.54
Planted May 19th, 2006 and May 11th, 2007, Jeffers, MN
Residue Management and Yield
Southern MN Tillage Research
Field size research
Corn following soybeans
10 sites in 2004 and 2005
Four tillage treatments:No Till (NT)Strip Till (ST)Spring cultivation (OP)Fall chisel plow with Spring cultivation (CP+)
Residue Cover Corn Following Soybeans
Average for UMN sites only. Residue counts taken after planting.
NT ST OP CP+
Res
idue
Cov
er (%
)
80
60
40
20
0
30%
54
65
4549
30 2722 21
2004
2005
Corn Grain YieldsYi
eld
(bu/
acre
)
NT ST OP CP+
220
200
180
160
140
168
196
175
202
174
197
177
201
2004
2005
Yields are averaged over 10 site locations per year.
2006 Residue and YieldCont. Corn – Jeffers, MN
Residue LSD (.05) = 9Yield LSD (.10) = NS
160
150
140
130
120
150
140
148
Cor
n Y
ield
(bu/
a)
Strip TillMBP Disc Rip
Residue C
over (%)
75
25
0
50
100
34
10
49
Yiel
d (b
u/ac
re)
OLeary2000
Olson 2001
Olson 2002
Average
180
170
160
150
162 161
157154
170
176
163 164
Strip Till
Conventional
Monsanto COE, Corn Yields 2000-2002
Economics
Economics of Tillage
NT ST OP CP+
CP 6.23ST 12 row 6.17Cult. 40’ 5.48 5.48Planter 8.38 8.38 8.38Min-Til Ptr 9.99
$/acre 9.99 14.55 13.86 20.09
UMN Farm Machinery Econ. Costs Estimates - 2005
Economics of Corn Fertilizer
Banded 30# P 50# K
Bdcst 45# P 80# K
Diff. per acre $7.05 $7.20
Total savings $14.25 per acre
UMN Fertilizer Rec’s for a medium testing soil and a 175 expected yield.
P = 0.47/lb., K = 0.24 /lb. Spring 2007 on actual
Issues with Estimating Economics
Differing definitions for ST
18+ different ST machinesCost can range from $15,000 to $130,000Different attachments and options
Reduced fertilizer costs not always used
Difficult to put a price on improvements to soil quality
Economic Summary
Strip Till has a potential for one pass across the field, saving time and fuel
30” rows in a C-SB rotation can save on stalk chopping ($9.90/ac)
If banding P and K, reduce cost by a third
Courtesy of IPNI.net
Other Benefits
Strip Tillage Study – NDSUIn-Row Soil Moisture (% MC)
Overstreet, Cattanach, Gegner
0
10
20
30
40
50
BEET BEANS WHEAT CORN
0
10
20
30
40
50
BEET BEANS WHEAT CORN
Prosper, ND
Moorhead, MN
June 21, 2007
0
10
20
30
40
50
BEET BEANS WHEAT CORN
0
10
20
30
40
50
BEET BEANS WHEAT CORN
July 3, 2007
ST CT
CENTER OF EXCELLENCEJEFF & JON OLSON MADISON, MN
Inches of Soil Moisture in Corn Tillage Systems in 2002
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
04/15/02 05/02/02 05/17/02 05/31/02 06/14/02 06/29/02 07/12/02 07/26/02 08/12/02
SAMPLING DATE
INC
HES
OF
SOIL
MO
ISTU
RE
Strip Tillage Conventional Tillage
Field Capacity
WiltingPoint
Management
Proper Set-up of Equipment is Crucial
Picture courtesy of Centrol Ag Consulting of ND
Don’t stagger wheel traffic. 80% of compaction happens on
the first pass.
Spring vs. Fall ST
Benefit of Fall ST is due to soil warm-up before planting
Can be done but should be used only if fall ST was not completed
Spring ST has the potential for:Cooler soilWetter soilCloddy seed bed
To Chop or Not to Chop…
Upright stalks:Helps with water infiltrationDries out fasterPlant between 30” rowsDon’t drive combine on the stalks
Chopped stalks:May be better for 22” rowsHelps residue move through machineStaggered bar will manage residue better than straight
Combine and ST Directions
ST Management
How aggressive do you need to be?Moisture savings?Crop rotation?
Match equipment to needs
Combine should spread out chaff
Residue managers on planter
ST Management
Use a starter or pop-up at planting
Band P and K for better economics
Good drainage is beneficial
Avoid ST up and down hills
Auto guidance can be helpfulPlacement of fertilizerPlanting on bermOther
Strip Till Summary
Cool and/or wet soils can benefit from ST
ST maintains yields while saving you time and money
ST builds soil structure, preserves organic matter, and reduces erosion
It is a win-win situation
Don’t Drink and Farm!
