With no-till corn acres taking a beating in 1998 in some areas, farmers are looking for ways to overcome these concerns.

Many farmers and educators believe some type of row cleaning needs to be done prior to no-tilling to help get the crop off to a faster start. Some no-tillers have relied on strip-tilling and fertilizing in the fall and then planting directly into these raised strips the following spring. Others run row cleaners and other attachments over the field a few days ahead of no-tilling to warm and/or dry out the soil.

The Grow-Zone Rig

Veteran no-tiller Terry Schneider has come up with his own novel way of warming up the soil prior to no-tilling. Instead of fall strip-tilling, the Shirley, Ill., no-tiller lays out strips where he clears the row area and applies fertilizer to no-till corn ground three weeks to five days ahead of planting.

“Actually, we’d prefer to get a rain on the strips after they’ve been wiped before we no-till,” says the farmer who’s been no-tilling successfully since 1984.

After sidedressing nitrogen for nearly 20 years, Schneider likes the results of this new row wiping and early fertilizing system. Four weeks after planting, he’s measured as many as 100 extra heat units in wiped strips compared to the heat units found in crop residue located next to the cleared areas.

He finds the strips cool down faster at night than the soil found under the residue. The difference for maximum soil temperature with unworked areas…