This picture comes from the Iowa Natural Resources Conservation Service (NCRS). Strip-tilling is a fairly new concept that is growing in popularity across the world. Strip-tilling is when crop residue is pushed into rows. Inbetween each row, soil will be tilled using a long shank and typically fertilizer will be injected. Once Spring comes, the dark exposed soil will heat up quickly and farmers will plant in the rows where the soil is exposed. Each year, the rows shift six inches all in the same direction. Fertilizer costs stay down because it is only applied to the tilled rows, according to the NRCS. Strip-tilling is a great practice if soil moisture levels allow for it.

Learn more about strip-till at http://www.ia.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/StripTill.html.

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