Cambridge, southwestern Nebraska | I have a hard time trying to come up with how I am going to pay for the extra cost of equipment, both machine and horsepower, fuel and time in the field. Then, you must plant right on the strip so add a little more to the cost for RTK. If your on rolling terrain and run up and down hills you will eventually have a severe erosion problem with a heavy rain following the strip till operation.
You will need to tender the fertilizer. Strip till is tillage only on about half the ground. But it is still a major disruption to the earthworm and microbial activity going on in the soil. Banding nutrients works well in low fertility but won't show as much return in adequate soils. Roots tend to stay close to the nutrient band and not spread out as much. I have seen plants lodge worse in strip till due to the root mass being in loose soil.
I'm not sold on it every where but a lot of guys do it. Not sure some know why. Maybe just doing what the neighbor is doing? |
strip till
