[Video] Winning the Relay Cropping Race to Strengthen Strip-Till Biology

Cover crops leave a lot of latitude for experimentation. Seeding covers since 2012, Bethany, Ill., strip-tiller Clint Robinson has relished the opportunity to mix and match varieties — sometimes up to 12-way mixes — and seeding methods in an effort to reduce erosion on slopes on his 1,800-acre operation.

A successful soil health tool has been relay cropping wheat in between strip-tilled soybeans going to corn.

Planting a treated wheat with fungicide on 30-inch rows right after corn harvest, Robinson builds wheat strips 6-8 inches wide, and by the end of April, it’s 12-18 inches tall.

He’ll then plant soybeans on 30-inch centers in between those wheat rows and after soybeans are har- vested, seeds a cover crop mix ahead of corn.

Robinson details the reasoning and results of his companion cropping to complement his strip-till system to include termination tips, timing and early lessons learned.

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