Here at Strip-Till Farmer, there are plenty of insights gleaned — from conference presentations to podcast interviews and phone calls — that don’t always make it from the notebook to the printer. I dug through some recent notes and came across the following 3 tips, observations and insights, to give you something to think about before hopping in the cab this spring.
1. Try ‘Crazy Early’ Soybeans
“If there’s anything you can do with soybeans, move the planting date up. I don’t care if you’re no-till or strip-till, do everything in your power to get that average planting date earlier,” says Juneau, Wis., strip-tiller Ryan Nell. “We first gave early soybeans a try in March 2018. We planted 4 acres at 3 different planting depths (1.5 inches, 1.75 inches and 2 inches). If we didn’t change the planting depth, I don’t think we’d be where we are with strip-till soybeans today. If we didn’t go deeper, I wouldn’t be here saying March soybeans can work. We had about 18 inches of snow April 20. The planting depth was very important that year.”
2. Place Fertilizer Where Plants Can Find It
“The science behind fertility placement has improved tremendously over the years,” says Mike Petersen, former NRCS soil scientist and independent consultant with over 35 years of strip-till research experience. “Broadcast fertilizer should be a thing of the past. We should put the fertilizer in the ground where the plant’s going to find it. The plant doesn’t have eyes, hands or a nose. It has to run to the fertilizer. If you put fertility right in front of the plant, it will find it, and you’ll succeed and profit from it.
“Did you know corn has two different root systems involved in its early growth? Fertilizer placement makes a difference in the first 45 days of growth. For example, if you’re using boron, you need to apply it during the first 45 days of life. Manganese needs to be applied in the first 15 days. If you don’t apply it in the first 15 days, you’re out of luck. Knowing what goes on in those first 45 days is really important. It makes a difference in how we feed the plant, and using a strip-till system helps make it happen.”
3. Soil Analysis is Only as Good as the Test
“You want a soil sample that is representative of the field area that you want to manage,” says Jon Leif, agronomy manager with AgroLiquid. “Once you get that perfect soil sample taken, and you send it to a reputable lab, what do you ask for? There are a lot of different packages and prices. But I really encourage people to order a complete soil test analysis. That will include things like the CEC, pH, primary nutrients, micronutrients and organic matter.
“In a strip-till situation, where do you take your core samples? Are you going to be planting on the same strips every year, or are you going to offset them? I think it would make a difference. If all you’re doing is concentrating on that one band, you can concentrate more of your soil cores in that band. But what I’ve seen from most literature, if you take one core right down the middle of your strip, then you need to take at least two off the side of the strip or even out into the middle. That’s the general rule of thumb.”
