A southwestern Ontario farm supply and grain company is trying to help farmers adapt to what it believes will be a major change forced by environmental concerns.
Southwest Ag Partners marketing manager Rick Youlton says the move away from neonic pesticides makes tillage more necessary but the need to keep fertilizers out of the waterways, makes no-till systems important.
So the company is launching a major study of strip till farming.
"You wouldn't have to go back to tilling all the field, you get the benefits that come with tillage and planting a conventional seed bed with only having to work a 10 in. strip," Youlton says. "You continue to realize a lot of the benefits that come with no-till which are improved soil health, reduced costs, increased moisture retention."
The company is holding a public demonstration of strip tillage Thursday morning at its Pain Court branch.
Information is available from any Southwest Ag branch.
Youlton says the study will involve more than a hundred farmers and 16-thousand acres.