Relying on equipment sharing and an agronomic eye, in 4 years of strip-tilling Justin Krell cut fertilizer use by 30% and achieved 230-bushel corn. ow.ly/xvnH50Yqx76
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Could Strip Tillage Be Your Key To Lower Costs And Higher Yields?
www.agweb.com
Farmers detail how they navigated the strip-till learning curve and offer some tips you’ll want to know before making the move.
Banded Fertilizer and Rate Reduction Study:![]()
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The PTI Farm initiated a 10-year study to evaluate banded dry fertilizer applications versus broadcast methods. This research also investigates the impact of reducing fertilizer rates by 25%, 50%, 75%, and even 0%.![]()
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Initial Findings (First Five Years):![]()
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Soil Test Levels: At the study's start, phosphorus levels were 66 lbs/acre and potassium levels were 363 lbs/acre, considered adequate.![]()
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Corn Profitability:![]()
Year 1 (2021): Banding fertilizer with a 25-50% rate reduction resulted in a $50 net gain per acre. Even with zero fertilizer application, there was an $8 per acre increase compared to a 100% broadcast rate.![]()
Year 2 (2022): Net returns continued to improve, with zero fertilizer yielding nearly $40 more per acre.![]()
Year 3 (2023): A 25% reduction led to a $14 per acre gain, and zero fertilizer still showed nearly a $20 gain.![]()
Year 4 (2024): A significant $66 per acre gain was observed with zero fertilizer, primarily due to high fertilizer costs.![]()
Year 5 (2025): Zero fertilizer finally resulted in a $20 per acre loss. However, a 25-50% reduction still provided a $30 gain.![]()
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Impact on Soil Test Levels:![]()
Phosphorus: Levels in the zero-application plots decreased from 66 to 25 lbs/acre.![]()
Potassium: Levels remained relatively stable.![]()
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Soybean Profitability:![]()
Over five years, applying zero fertilizer resulted in an average loss of 3.3 bushels. Despite this, it was still identified as the economic optimum rate.![]()
A 50% fertilizer reduction in a band also proved to be economically beneficial
Here's why we strip-till on our farm.
Here's why we strip-till on our farm.
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Agriculture is the most important industry in the world, and we bring you the information you need to best manage your business. Our main goals are: To help ...
Proven Nutrient Strategies from PTI Farm Research ‣ PTx Winter Conference 2026
Proven Nutrient Strategies from PTI Farm Research ‣ PTx Winter Conference 2026
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Listen as lead research agronomist Jason Webster shares years of agronomic data from the PTI farm in Pontiac, IL that challenge long standing nutrient manage...
Deadline Announced to Apply for USDA's Farmer Bridge Payments
www.no-tillfarmer.com
The program will provide $11 billion in one-time bridge payments to row crop producers in response to temporary trade market disruptions and increased production costs.