Row crop growers who want to switch from conventional tillage without going all the way to zero till may find a middle ground with strip tillage.
 

Strip tillage allows producers to seed directly into a prepared seedbed while still retaining crop residue on the soil surface, according to a North Dakota crop specialist.
 

The system combines the benefits of both conventional and zero tillage, said Greg Endres, a North Dakota State University agronomist.
 

“To me, it’s a real nice compromise between those two tillage systems,” Endres said following a presentation at Manitoba Ag Days.
 

Endres described strip tillage as a two-pass system for row crops.

Producers lay down six- to 10-inch-wide strips in fall and apply fertilizer. In spring, they seed directly into the cleared strips.
 

Endres listed several benefits of strip tillage: less time and energy spent in tilling; fewer passes over a field; no field work in spring; maintaining surface residue; conserving soil moisture.
 

The downside is that strip tillage requires special equipment costing more money. Obtaining machinery parts and service can be an issue. Also, putting down strips during a wet fall (like last year) can produce a soggy mess instead of nice clean strips.
Applying strips can require GPS or electronic guidance systems, which not all producers may have, Endres said.
 

Research at NDSU indicates yields and crop performance with strip tillage are just as good as with conventional and no till, and sometimes even a bit better.
 

Endres said corn is the best-suited crop for strip tillage. Sunflowers, soybeans and field beans are also a good fit.
 

Strip tillage has been practiced in parts of North Dakota since the mid-1990s. Most of its use occurs in the southeastern part of the state and west of the Red River Valley. While strip tillage is practised very little in Manitoba, Endres said it could have potential for corn and dry bean crops in the province.