Zone tillage

Zone tillage is a form of modified tillage (deep tillage) that agitates the soil to help reduce soil compaction problems and to improve internal soil drainage. Zone tillage is designed to only disrupt the soil in a narrow strip directly below the crop row. In comparison to no-till, which relies on the previous year’s plant residue to protect the soil and aides in postponement of the warming of the soil and crop growth in Northern climates, zone tillage creates approximately a 5-inch-wide strip that simultaneously breaks up plow pans, assists in warming the soil and helps to prepare a seedbed. When combined with cover crops, zone tillage helps replace lost organic matter, slows the deterioration of the soil, improves soil drainage, increases soil water and nutrient holding capacity, and allows necessary soil organisms to survive. It has been successfully used on farms in the mid-west and west for over 40 years and is currently used on more than 36% of the U.S. farmland. Some specific states where zone tillage is currently in practice are Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Minnesota, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Unfortunately there aren’t consistent yield results in the Northern Cornbelt states however; there is still interest in deep tillage within the agriculture industry. Deep tillage is used to improve the drainage and filtering of the soil, especially if used in areas that are not well drained and therefore is used as a less expensive way of tile drainage.