Dick Buitenhuis, Ridgetown, Chatham- Kent
Soil Type: Sandy Clay | Farm Operation: Cash crops and vegetables
Years in Operation of Zone-till (5-8 in. deep): 13

Tillage/Cropping System

System: Zone-till (5-8 in. deep)
Fall Tillage: strip till
Spring Tillage: have coulters on planter

Planter Make, Model and Description

Kinze with hydraulically adjustable bar up front
3 coulters per row of which 1 has a dry fertilizer opener 2”away and 1 has a liquid opener 4”away from seed.

Tillage/Coulter Dimensions:

In the fall strip till 6 inches deep, for both the wheat and soybean ground. We do all our next year’s corn acres.
On planter coulters run about 3-4” deep depending on soil type and conditions

Fertilizer System:
Liquid In furrow:
Broadcast:
Dry Banded: 195 lbs of 6-28-22-3.2S-1.5Mg
Additional Nitrogen on Planter: 40 lbs of N
Sidedress N: 85-100 lbs in June

Trans Till

Pros

Cons

Strip much softer and warmer than rest of field in spring. No or very little residue on the strips.
Sandy soil creates significant soil erosion problems if worked in fall and or spring. No problem with strip-till.
No need to use row cleaners if it is done in the fall.
Much lower fuel and labor cost per acre, 1 trip in the fall and 1 planting trip in the spring.
Strip till allowed me to plant corn into wheat stubble the following spring.

Compared to moldboard or chisel plow, soil has to be a bit dryer in order for the coulters to do a good job. More of a problem on the heavy soil types.
Wheat stubble is usually mowed and sprayed with Round-up in the fall prior to making the strips. If not mowed it is almost impossible to see marker. With GPS/RTK this would not be a problem and would eliminate the mowing pass.
Best to remove wheat straw, but with a good chopper on the combine it can be done. Residue should always be spread evenly.