Mike, The 5.0 vs 0.5 are numbers from one of our customers and based on corn on corn not beans on corn which would obviously be less fuel used.

As far as the N fertilizer, I respectfully realize I am never going to change your preference for fall nh3 into bean stubble. There are many ways to skin a cat as they say.

However, the MN strips in the bottom of the post above are really not all that far from you and Brian. And they are in somewhat similar soil types.

It does take a leap of faith, especially in your area, to leave corn stalks and bean stubble standing tall in the fall as shown and make the strips and apply fertilizer in the spring. Yes, I know it will never work....

I personally would much rather work with liquid 28% than NH3. There is a certain amount of cost benefit, to me, of not handling a hazardous material. Liquid 28% put down behind our LH coulter maybe a day or even a couple passes ahead of the planter in the spring, say maybe 110-120 units of N, puts the N when and were the plant needs it - about like 3x3 or 4x4 on the planter but without the hassle of nursing the planter. Even if the 28% costs more than the fall applied NH3 per unit of N, I think your total N cost per bushel will or at least could be about the same. For me I would much rather work with 28% than nh3. But there are many ways to look at it.

I have done this method myself for two years now in addition to seeing it work for others.

Folks in your area traditionally have trouble sleeping nights unless even the bean ground is turned black in the fall. And we are working on an NH3 system for the Pluribus which would allow you to put ammonia down in the fall in bean strips. However in corn stalks as pictured above, I am convinced that in the spring is a far preferable time to make strips.

And I am aware of the issues with relying on side dressing corn in a dry year. However no where do I ever remember advocating side dressing after strip tilling. Yes some folks do it but again there are many ways to skin a cat. Personally I don't have time to side dress. I have made strips in the spring just ahead of the corn planter applying 32 gal of 28%, plant the next day and hit it with Roundup+ when any weeds start emerging.

Thanks for your reply. I will post a photo of the other customers 10/1 fuel reduction in corn on corn when I have access to that photo on a different computer. As I recall he was comparing to his own previous system of shredding stalks, disk chisel, spring FC + fertilizer pass or something like that.

 Jim at Dawn