Why Strip-Till?

• Improved Soil Health – By leaving the areas between the rows untouched, it will improve soil structure, reduce soil erosion, and improve water infiltration
• Banding and Precise Nutrient Placement – Placing fertilizer and nutrients in a concentrated band supports strong root growth, efficient nutrient uptake, and provides potential for reducing overall fertilizer rates/cost vs. broadcasting
• Reduced Tractor Hours and Fuel Cost – Compared to conventional tillage, strip-till will provide reduced tractor hours and overall fuel costs

Fast DuraPlacer Difference vs. Other Strip-Till Options

• Fast’s focus on 60’ strip-till allows the operator improve productivity, match up with their planter size, and allow larger operations to implement strip-till
• 60’ Toolbar as operating speeds of 8-10 mph helps reduce tractor hours
• 4-7” max depth lowers horsepower requirements – 370 hp common with 60’ toolbar, Yetter Strip Fresheners, and 2400 gallon tank.
• 60’ Toolbar helps reduce traffic patterns and compaction in the field
• Up to 2400 gallon liquid tank or 13 ton dry capacity boosts efficiency in the field
• Unmatched toolbar flex and down pressure capabilities to follow contours and provide a consistent strip

Why Strip-Till and Banded Fertilizer?

Producers continually seek ways to improve soil health, optimize nutrient use, and maintain or increase yields while reducing input costs and environmental impact. Two practices that have gained traction across the Corn Belt are strip-till and banded fertilizer placement. When used together, these practices can deliver agronomic and economic benefits supported by independent research.

What Is Strip-Till?

Strip-Till is a conservation tillage method where only narrow strips (typically 6–10 inches wide) are tilled in the row area where seed will be placed, leaving the areas between rows undisturbed and covered with crop residue. This approach combines key elements of both conventional tillage and no-till systems:

• A warmer, drier seedbed in the tilled strip that promotes earlier planting and improved emergence.
• Residue cover between strips that conserves soil moisture, reduces erosion, and helps build organic matter.
• Fewer passes with machinery, reducing fuel use and labor. Source – Agriculture.com

Why Integrate Banded Fertilizer?

Banded fertilizer places nutrients in concentrated bands close to the seed row and root zone instead of broadcasting them across the entire field surface. This strategy improves the efficiency of nutrient uptake—especially for immobile nutrients like phosphorus and potassium—and reduces nutrient tie-up in residues or loss to the environment.

When fertilizer placement is paired with strip-till, growers can apply tillage and precise nutrient placement in a single pass, saving time and operational costs. Source – Strip-Till Farmer

Agronomic and Economic Benefits

1. Better Soil Conditions for Early Growth

Strip-till creates a warmer and drier seed zone in spring, which can promote more uniform emergence and early growth compared to no-till systems where cooler, wetter soils can slow germination. This advantage can be particularly meaningful in northern growing regions or cool springs. Source – Agriculture.com

2. Improved Soil Conservation

By leaving residues between tilled strips, strip-tillage reduces soil erosion and improves water infiltration compared with full-width tillage. Residue also helps moderate soil temperature extremes and maintain moisture for crop use. Source – Agriculture.com

3. Enhanced Nutrient Use Efficiency

Banded fertilizer places nutrients where corn roots can access them more easily, reducing the amount of fertilizer needed to achieve similar or better plant response than broadcast applications:

• Practical experiences indicate that broadcast rates often need to be 25-50% higher than banded rates to achieve the same effect on crop nutrition. Source – Strip-Till Farmer
• Banded placement can reduce fertilizer costs and in some cases lower fuel and application expenses because growers can accomplish nutrient placement and tillage in one pass. Source – Strip-Til Farmer

4. Yield and Profit Potential

Field experience and research illustrate consistent agronomic benefits:

• Producers have reported higher yields with banded nutrients compared with broadcast fertilizer. Source – Strip-Till Farmer. The independent, multi-year yield study below from Precision Planting’s PTI Results show yield comparisons between banded vs. broadcast fertilizer in corn from 2018-2024, resulting in positive yield benefits for banding. The study also shows comparisons when reduced rates are used, consistently showing yield benefits to banding fertilizer.

Source: Precision Planting “2024 PTI Results”

• Economic analyses from Precision Planting’s PTI Studies show the positive returns per acre on strip-till vs. other tillage methods on independent studies from 2018-2024 averaging $17- $25 per acre.

Source: Precision Planting “2024 PTI Results”

5. Root Development and Soil Health

Strip-till systems can improve the root environment by reducing compaction in the row zone and facilitating easier root penetration, which can lead to more efficient water and nutrient uptake through the growing season.

Source: DTN

Conclusion

Strip-till combined with banded fertilizer offers corn growers a management strategy grounded in conservation and agronomic efficiency. By tilling only where it is needed, placing nutrients where corn roots can use them most effectively, and reducing unnecessary passes across the field, growers can achieve yield benefits along with effectively managing input costs to provide positive returns per acre.