Farm Challenges Spawn New Tillage Tech

Herbicide resistance, varied growing conditions, and the need for top-notch seedbed preparation drive equipment makers to find new tillage solutions.

The reduced tillage movement continues to grow in the U.S., fueled by economic and environmental concerns, but fully 60-75% of the nation’s farmland remains in “conventional” farming — with growers relying on pre-plant tillage and soil preparation to create a field-wide, soft, friable seedbed.

“It’s probably simpler to obtain higher yields using conventional tillage,” says Mark Van Steen, Salford Group Inc., “But the biggest drawback is, if you don’t watch what you’re doing you can eventually burn out carbon, and you’ll deplete your soils over time.