assistant professor,
OSU-Extension

Area motorist may be seeing a different type of tillage being performed on farm fields in the county. Albert Maag, Putnam County SWCD technician, recently acquired a USDA-NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) to investigate using a strip-tiller to incorporate fall fertilizer. Five demonstration sites consisting of 40 acres each were completed last week. The demonstrations are located around Ottawa (2), Glandorf, Kalida, and Pandora. Blanchard Valley Coop is assisting with the equipment for the demonstrations. The goal of the demonstration plots is to see if strip tillage with fall fertilizer application is a feasible method of producing no-till corn while reducing nutrient runoff, especially phosphorus movement to surface water.