UNL CropWatch May 16, 2010: Panhandle Zone Tillage Demonstration

UNL CropWatch May 16, 2010: Panhandle Zone Tillage Demonstration

May 19, 2010

Rainy weather has forced the postponement of an on-farm demonstration of zone tillage equipment designed for narrow field rows. The demonstration is now scheduled for May 25 from 2 p.m. until early evening, and May 26 from 9-11 a.m. near Hemingford.

May 16, 2010

Will zone-tillage machines work for sugarbeet growers who want to plant their fields in narrower, 22-inch rows in heavy corn residue and wheat stubble?

That’s the question behind an on-farm demonstration this Wednesday and Thursday (May 19-20) in Box Butte County. Zone tillage machines from five manufacturers will be operated in real-world conditions. The demonstration is cosponsored by the UNL Panhandle Research and Extension Center and Western Sugar Cooperative.

The demonstration was requested by Western Sugar growers and agriculturalists, according to John Smith, UNL machinery systems engineer at the UNL Panhandle REC. Smith said many sugarbeet producers are successfully using zone tillage systems with a 30-inch row spacing, while other growers are farming in 22-inch rows and interested in moving to narrower rows to increase per-acre yields.

Why Zone Tillage?

Zone tillage is a regional form of strip tillage where surface residue is moved aside from the row to facilitate planting — especially shallow-seeded sugarbeets — to allow the sun to warm the soil in the row area. Zone tillage uses a shank operating 10-12 inches deep to loosen the soil in the row area and to place fertilizer below where the seed will be placed. Strip tillage typically focuses on moving residue from the row area and shallow placement of fertilizer, but not deep tillage in the row area.

Event Details

Date and Time: The May 19 demonstration will be from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. and includes a light meal provided by 21st Century Equipment. The May 20 demonstration will be from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Location: The demonstration will be conducted in two fields southwest of Hemingford, near the intersection of County Road 74 and Johnson Road. From Hemingford, go 4 miles west on Highway 71 to County Road 74 and 8 miles south on County Road 74 to Johnson Road. One field is 1/4 mile west of the intersection, and the other field is 1/2 mile south of the intersection.

Demonstration Eqiupment
: Five businesses will be demonstrating tillage equipment and another will demontrate a planter. Each tillage machine will be 12 rows wide and have 22-inch row spacings.

The equipment manufacturers include:

  • Blu-Jet by Thurston Manufacturing, Thurston, Nebr.
  • Northside Welding Inc., Paul, ID
  • Orthman Manufacturing, Lexington, Nebr
  • Schlagel Manufacturing, Torrington, WY
  • Twin Diamond Industries, Minden, Nebr.

Northside Welding also will bring a 12-row, 22-inch Case IH planter equipped with an Omni-Trac GPS Implement Guidance system to demonstrate improved tracking following a zone tillage operation.

More Information

For more information about the event, contact John Smith at the Panhandle REC at 308-632-1247 or Bill Booker, Extension educator in Box Butte County.
 

Online Master of Science in Agronomy

With a focus on industry applications and research, the online program is designed with maximum flexibility for today's working professionals.

A field of corn.