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Minnesota farmer looking at how tillage impacts yield

A west central Minnesota farmer is trying to discover how different tillage practices impact yield.

Kent Luthi of Hancock says he’s in the first year of a project funded by the Minnesota Corn Growers (MCGA).

“What kind of yield costs are associated with areas that are missed with tillage due to tripped shanks, or if there’s too much moisture to get in the field.”

He’s also experimenting with different tillage point sizes to identify the possible benefits or drawbacks.

“We’re trying to track soil nutrients, (specifically) how they move through the soil (and) uptake by the plant.  What kind of compaction layers we’re leaving.  How much soil we’re actually getting into suspension.  We’re tracking the stands we’re getting (and) tracking nitrate levels in different areas of the plot.”

The project also involves tracking plant health through satellite imagery.

Luthi used a 15 acre plot this year, but tells Brownfield he hopes to continue in MCGA’s Innovation Grant program expanding to two or three fields in 2018.