OMAFRA is taking soil health action to the field this year at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show (COFS).
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is hosting a live strip tillage demonstration every day at 11:15 a.m. in the Southwest Demo Field at the show.
This is in addition to the regular equipment demonstrations that take place each afternoon at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show.
“This is in the spirit of soil health and the idea that many people want to improve their soil health as they’ve seen it deteriorate over the years,” said Ian McDonald, OMAFRA’s crop innovation specialist. “ With strip till, you gain the advantages of both conventional and no till and offset the negatives of both of those.
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“We look at it as a win-win,” he said.
OMAFRA works with the Ontario Soil Conservation Improvement Association (OSCIA) each year on static demonstrations at the OSCIA display. This year, McDonald said they wanted farmers to be able to see strip till in action and be able to look at the tillage strips and be able to talk to industry representatives and OMAFRA staff right away.
The strip till units will each run 200 to 300 feet and then farmers will be able to check out the tillage depth and the soil immediately.
There’s quite a bit of variation in strip tillage machinery and how farmers use it. Each brand has different features on their machines and the demonstration will give famers the opportunity to see which piece of equipment will work best for their soil and crop conditions. Some pieces of equipment are set up for either fall tillage or spring tillage, while some are set up for both. Different types of equipment work better in certain soil conditions, and some are best suited to incorporate fertilizers.
That versatility in the practice and the ability to manage fertility during strip till passages, along with the soil health benefits, are increasing the popularity of the practice.
OMAFRA is also participating in the Farmers Edge Knowledge Tent, with speakers at 1 p.m. each day. Farmers and OMAFRA representatives will be there talking about their experience with strip tillage.
