Top 10 Reasons to Consider Strip-Till with a SoilWarrior

Farmers are consistently exploring avenues to enhance productivity and efficiency on their farms. What if strip-tillage was the answer? Enter the SoilWarrior^® by Environmental Tillage Systems. The SoilWarrior is more than just a tool for strip-tillage. It’s a way to zone in and take better control of your farm’s profitability.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Before you consider purchasing a SoilWarrior system, let’s look at the added benefits a conservation tillage practice like strip-till could bring to your farm.

Our top 10 reasons for switching to strip-till:

1. Reduce soil erosion. With the SoilWarrior, areas between rows are left untouched. That crop residue helps hold the soil in place, reducing water and soil erosion. Ben Pederson, a strip-till farmer in Iowa, estimates he saves 3-1/2 tons of soil per acre per year by strip-tilling.² That’s approximately 12 dump trucks full per 150-acre field annually.
   
   
2. Prepares an ideal seedbed in one pass. Strip tillage is a modified form of tillage, meaning narrow strips are tilled in the soil, but the plant residue between the rows is left undisturbed. This allows for good soil drainage and air flow and maintains the soil’s biological health. The result is a perfect environment for quick germination and strong early plant growth. In many cases, seed germination rates for corn and soybeans are higher, meaning you may be able to reduce the populations you need to plant to achieve your desired stand.
   
   
3. Precision nutrient placement. Nutrients can be placed right in the zone where the crops need them and can most efficiently use them. The SoilWarrior is even more precise than most systems because it is equipped with variable rate technology (VRT), which allows you to place your nutrients according to the needs of a particular field.
   
   
4. Increase water infiltration. The health of your soil is at risk when it is compacted as water cannot penetrate it as easily and can lead to poor root growth. The tillage that takes place in the zones breaks up compacted soil, allowing for the movement of water and air.
   
   
5. Improved soil health. Because the soil in the strips has been tilled, it warms faster than untilled areas. This is especially important when you need to get into the field early. A five-year, multi-state university study¹ shows that soils are nearly 10 degrees F warmer in strip-tilled soils vs no-till, i.e., 51 degrees F vs. 42 degrees F.
   
   
6. Blends fertilizer throughout the strip to improve seedling safety. Nutrients can be placed right in the zone where the crops need them and can most efficiently use them. The SoilWarrior is even more precise than most systems because it is compatible with variable-rate technology (VRT), which allows you to place your nutrients according to the needs of a particular field.
   
   
7. Fewer tractor hours. It requires fewer passes across the field than conventional tillage. In the case of the SoilWarrior, everything you need to prepare the seedbed is included. It’s one piece, one pass, which means fewer hours in the tractor and less equipment necessary. Some farmers have found it slashes their tractor hours in half each season and are able to sell their tractor, field cultivator, ripper, disk and rock picker.
   
   
8. Improved fertilizer efficiency. Its unique cog and coulter row unit design, precisely mixes fertilizer throughout the 10-inch zone at adjustable depths of 2-10 inches. Because fertilizer can be placed exactly where it’s needed, plants have easier access to the nutrients they need to thrive. Crops more fully utilize what has been applied, plus the risk of runoff is reduced. You can save significant time and money with fewer passes across the field and less fertilizer cost. According to a 30+ year tillage study conducted by Dr. Tony Vyn at Purdue University, strip-till holds its own when it comes to yields. It typically produces yield gains over no-till and is comparable with conventional, full-width tillage methods.⁴ Strip-till can save $19.50 per acre with no yield loss, an estimated savings of $20,000 for a two-year corn and soybean rotation on a 1,000-acre farm.³
   
9. Fuel savings. Since the number of passes across the field is typically reduced, you’ll spend less fuel pulling implements across your fields. In a 2015 study, University of Minnesota researchers compared fuel usage of different tillage practices. Plowing and two passes of a spring field cultivator used 546 gallons more diesel than shallow discing and 406 gallons more than strip-till over 1,000 acres.³
   
   
10. Durability – the SoilWarrior is built to last. “SoilWarrior [ETS] has done a fantastic job of putting together a machine that is a one-piece setup,” says Stratton Kraft, Colorado dairy farmer. “In the long run, it holds up better than some other models we've seen. It gives you peace of mind. You can set it. Know it's running right and knock stuff out. You have the versatility to run at a high speed, see the difference that the speeds make in your strips and cover a lot of ground fast, which is a big deal.”

Since strip-till improves the long-term productivity of the soil, it can provide both environmental and economic benefits for preserving the legacy of the land. Check out our SoilWarrior systems or contact us for more information on ETS and strip-tillage.

¹ Wick, A. (2019). Moisture and Temperature with Conservation Tillage. Soil Health Minute. Retrieved from issuu.com/otwgraphics/docs/nd_soil_agweek_soil_health_2019?e=12292632/79515732

² Bedord, L. (2020, March 10). Tillage Matters. Agriculture.com, Successful Farming. Retrieved from www.agriculture.com/crops/tillage-matters

³ DeJong-Hughes, J., & Daigh, A. (2018, Reviewed 2022). Economics of Tillage. UMN Extension. Retrieved from extension.umn.edu/soil-management-and-health/economics-tillage#yields-in-a-corn-soybean-rotation-1169960

⁴ Vyn, T. (2020, April 8). Strip-Tillage: Research Lessons on How to Make a Good System Even Better. American Society of Agronomy Webinar.