Bruce, Thank you for the fuel usage numbers from your place.

MLebrun, I certainly do not intentionally post "misleading data". Here is a poster from another of our strip till customers made for a field day on machinery cost comparison. I can't find a photo of the actual fuel comparison but this is about the same along with Greywolf's numbers. 

Mike, you asked about research into reduced fertilizer rates. You may be aware of George Rehm's work at the Univ of MN - he seemed to indicate that P & K which don't move much but are very important to be near the emerging plant, esp P in S MN, could be reduced significantly if they were banded near where the plant needed them and in the root zone, (but not in direct contact at very high concentrations) not way down deep.

I will post one of George's sketches where he is describing the need for the non-mobile nutrients to be available to the plant in the early root zone while the mobile nutrients can be further away. Used by permission.

Thanks also to scmn_06 for your numbers.

Jim at Dawn

(Dawn strip till customer poster machinery expense comparison c on c IMG_2553_small.JPG)

(Dawn strip till customer poster fertilizer expense comparison c on c IMG_2551_small.JPG)

(Mobile Nutrients - George Rehm U of MN.jpg)

Dawn strip till customer poster machinery expense comparison c on c IMG_2553_small.JPG (39KB - 67 downloads)

Dawn strip till customer poster fertilizer expense comparison c on c IMG_2551_small.JPG (35KB - 74 downloads)

Mobile Nutrients - George Rehm U of MN.jpg (45KB - 69 downloads)