Strip-tillers seem to be ahead of the curve when it comes to integrating precision technology into their system. Look no further than Albany, Wis., strip-tiller Randy Bump who recently told me he utilizes John Deere AutoPath on…well…everything.
“I use it on my strip-till bar, planter, sidedresser and combine,” he says. “My strip-till rig records a path for my planter to follow. Then when I go out there with the planter, it tells the tractor where to go. The planter will not leave those strips. It’s the weirdest feeling.”
Randy’s dad shakes his head in disbelief when he watches him kick back and relax while AutoPath works its magic.
As I begin to sift through data from the 2024 Strip-Till Farmer Operational Benchmark Study (special report coming soon!), one of the first things that jumps out is the high usage rate of precision technologies across the board.
90.2% of strip-tillers who responded to the survey are using GPS tractor auto-steer in 2024, almost 30% more than the 2023 survey (60.5%). 72.2% are using yield monitor data analysis, compared to only 46.7% in 2023, and 60.9% are using auto-seed shutoff and field mapping, both numbers up considerably from 2023 when only 39.3% used auto-seed shutoff and 44.5% used field mapping.
Veteran agronomist Michael Petersen, a former NRCS soil scientist and independent consultant with over 35 years of strip-till research experience, isn’t surprised by this at all.
“Precision technology makes a huge difference,” Petersen says. “If farmers can get their heads wrapped around being able to use all the tools that come out of GPS and the technology that comes from the combine, it makes a huge difference. Those numbers (rate of adoption) are going to improve even more, I think."
Petersen identifies see and spray technology as the next big thing in strip-till.
“The growers I work with are looking to improve their weed control,” he says. “There are new tools that only spray the weeds and nothing more, allowing farmers to save a lot on herbicide usage. I think that’s going to be big.”
Digging deeper into the numbers, 59.4% of strip-tillers surveyed are using auto-boom or nozzle shutoffs, 45.9% satellite aerial imagery, 44.4% variable-rate fertility, 41.4% variable-rate seeding, 27.8% GPS implement guidance, 24.8% drones, 11.3% GPS guidance-lightbar, which was down 14 percentage points from 2023 and 5.3% are using remote sensing.
What’s your precision arsenal look like these days, and are you looking to invest in anything new in 2024? Shoot me an email at Nnewman@LessiterMedia.com
