Zone Management: Soil is a Living Dynamic System

Soil is a living, dynamic system. It functions best when the physical, chemical and biological components are in a state of balance. Welcome to the world of zone tillage — where high performance crop production and soil health coexist to benefit your farm, your environment and your bottom line.

Zone tillage seeks to increase agricultural production and sustain the environment for future generations. It is a management strategy that incorporates soil health management and higher levels of productivity on every acre. Zone tillage honors the philosophy of conventional tillage with primary tillage in fall and shallow soil conditioning in the spring, yet provides the additional benefits of residue incorporation, increasing soil organic matter and integrated fertilizer application.

Primary Deep Tillage | SoilWarrior XD

Using 30" diameter serrated deep tillage cogs with ductile iron cutting bits, the SoilWarrior sizes residue, loosens soil and incorporates fertilizer in corn stalk residue, bean stubble, grain stubble, green residue, pasture and alfalfa. The deep tillage cog and containment coulter system of the SoilWarrior row unit will produce zones that are 12" wide and 8"–12" deep. Elevated berms, 2"–4" high, are established behind the containment coulters, which can be adjusted to match berm height to specific field conditions. The containment coulters also support full incorporation of fertilizer and residue throughout the tillage zone.

Seedbed Prep & Soil Conditioning | SoilWarrior XS

Two 20" diameter wavy coulters replace the deep tillage cog wheel to condition and till zones 12" wide and 2"–6" deep. The seedbed zones are aerated and fertilizer is thoroughly incorporated, creating an ideal soil profile for planting that allows rapid germination, strong early plant growth and excellent nutrient uptake. Spring soil conditioning produces excellent seed zones with no smearing or clumping of the soil.