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vertical tillage
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Jim
Posted 11/17/2012 11:19 (#2702082 - in reply to #2701642)
Subject: RE: vertical tillage


Driftless SW Wisconsin

gmfi - 11/17/2012 05:46 What do you think of vertical tillage?

Well you asked, so here is what I think about "vertical tillage"

If you do it, please do it in the FALL!!!

Vertically tilling the residue from a good corn crop, (or even a poor corn crop) in the spring incorporates an enormous amount of residue right into the top few inches of soil.

Folks tell me "I set it real shallow, only go a few inches deep".  Well by chance that ends up being exactly where you are planting that new seed.

As a row cleaner guy, I get call after call from folks who have done vertical tillage in the spring just ahead of the planter and can't figure out why they have such a poor stand.  Must be the row cleaner's fault, eh? 

Neighbor or meeting speaker: "If you only had this other super duper planter setup from the other end of the country you would have a better stand..."

Fact is vertical tillage in the spring mixes residue into the seed zone. The only way to get it back out again is to basically dig a trench down to the VT working depth and move the rootballs out that you just mixed in.

This can be done but unfortunately means you are planting into a trench. Planting into a trench is usually a major no-no in the corn belt.

If you use a VT machine please use it early enough in the fall so the residue you are incorporating into the seed zone has time to breakdown, even if partially.

Jim at Dawn



Edited by Jim 11/17/2012 11:20
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