Defending the Land Blog

Article Highlights

• Deep placement should not be your only nutrient application method as nutrients may not be available to the crop when needed.
• Concentrating nutrients in one location can cause the remaining root zone to become nutrient deficient.
• A multiple band approach often requires several passes through the field and many expensive attachments to planting equipment.
• Zone placement combines the benefits associated with multiple bands in an efficient, single pass operation that manages residues and creates an ideal seedbed.

 The 2017 National Strip-Tillage Conference will be held August 3rd and 4th in Omaha, NE. Now in its 4^th year, the conference has become the premier learning and networking event in the U.S. for forward-thinking farmers. This year’s conference will include 7 general sessions, 12 strip-till classrooms, and 26 roundtable discussions along with unlimited networking with fellow strip-till enthusiasts. According to National Strip-Tillage Conference Attendee Surveys (2014, 2015 and 2016) 95.2% of Strip-Tillage Conference attendees would recommend attending.

This is the story of how a moldboard plow dramatically changed the soil properties of a field, which was previously managed with years of minimal tillage and cover crops along with one year of strip-till with the SoilWarrior^®.  

Uniform distribution of fertilizer is key for optimal crop performance. Consider the following points when planning your fertilizer application.

1. As you choose a strip-till method, be sure the fertilizer application method meets your requirements for fertilizer distribution.
2. Operate the machine at the correct speed and depth to ensure uniform incorporation.
3. Be sure the placement method does not leave a void in which nutrients get concentrated.