Visual Technique to Address below Ground Tillage Management Options.

UMN Extension, commodity groups, and equipment manufactures held a unique field day addressing tillage and soil health near Appleton, Minnesota in September of 2014.  The field day used three customized soil pits to demonstrate the different soil disturbance, fertilizer and residue incorporation, and seedbed preparation. The pits, using backfill of alternating dark and light soil layers, help visualize the impact these implements are having below the soil surface. 

The soil pits showcased 11 different tillage implements, revealing a cross section of the soil and the disturbance each implement creates.  Implements were categorized as shallow, medium, or deep tillage. Over 200 people attended the field day.  Eighty-five percent of the participants surveyed agreed that they will incorporate what they learned at this field day to address tillage management issues in their own farming situations. 

As an extension to this field day, six videos will be produced and distributed on the web via You Tube, University websites and displayed at farm show booth(s) in the region.