Vertical tillage is gaining more traction in farming operations, and Case IH was showcasing its True-Tandem™ 330 Turbo at the recent National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Ky. Marketing manager for the company’s tillage line of products Tim Nix told me that this new tiller is good for conservation measures, especially important in light of what was passed in the new Farm Bill and its provisions that encourage vertical tillage.
“Basically, vertical tillage is slicing into the soil in a vertical manner, as opposed to a horizontal plane that you might get with a field cultivator sweep,” not creating a plane of soil or compaction smear layer that could inhibit early root growth he explained, adding vertical tillers run faster, allowing farmers to get more done.
Tim said this line of tillage tools works well in this new vertical tillage environment in fall and spring.
“In the fall, we’re trying to get the residue sliced and sized and down into the soil profile, so it will start to break down over the winter, and the nutrients can be released and available to the plant in the spring,” as well as slicing up root balls in corn really well, he said. When spring rolls around (and trust me, despite the seemingly endless winter, spring will return), the True-Tandem™ 330 Turbo helps prepare an excellent seed bed, with the soil being fluffed and residue being smoothed out. “It’s just a tool we’ve found that farmers love to run in both the fall and the spring.”
Listen to more of my interview with Tim here: [wpaudio url=”http://zimmcomm.biz/nfms/nfms14-case-2.MP3″ text=”Interview with Tim Nix, Case IH”]