OMAHA (DTN) -- Farmers in the market for new vertical tillage tools need to decide what they want from a machine before buying, according to participants in a recent DTN webinar.

During the webinar, "Vertical Tillage Tools," DTN Agronomist Daniel Davidson and Kansas State University Soil Specialist and Agronomist DeAnn Presley discussed some of the particulars of vertical tillage and the factors farmers should think about before purchasing a vertical tillage machine. The main point: Soil, crop residue levels and other conditions vary greatly, so the machine best suited to one farm may not be right for others.

These new implements are designed to move soil and break up residue in the top 2 to 3 inches of the soil profile, but not to bury residue in the traditional sense. The other objective of vertical tillage is to process (cut and size) the residue, leveling the soil and preparing the seedbed for planting.

"These tools will cut and roll on the soil surface, not slide or sweep," Presley said.

Davidson tested various vertical tillage implements on his northeastern Nebraska farm. He plants corn-on-corn and needed a tool to help speed decomposition of tougher Bt stalks and break up anchored rootballs. This would help his planter do a better job next planting season.

The webinar featured video clips from Davidson's tests, showing various implements working in the field and Davidson and company representatives explaining how the machines performed.

By testing vertical tillage tools on his own farm, Davidson said he learned quite a bit.

"Speed is very important for performance with these tools in order to process residue correctly and anchor residue so the wind does not blow away the stalks," he said. "I was used to disking at maybe 4 MHP, but with these machines, you have to pull them 8 to 10 MPH."

The tools require more horsepower in order to maintain that speed and work properly.

There are two main groupings of vertical tillage tools, according to Davidson. The first group, the aeration types, are used in the turf and agriculture industries to break surface compaction, aerate soils and level seedbeds.

The second group, the processing types, are used mainly in production agriculture. These machines will process residue as well as prepare and level seedbeds.

Despite the two different categories of vertical tillage tools, all implements share common components.

"All have gangs of coulters, rolling shattertines, harrows and rolling baskets," Davidson said. "Within each grouping, there can be different versions, like for coulters there are wavy or straight, notched or edged, angled or straight."

Presley recommends producers consult with manufacturers to determine what implement -- as well what types of coulters and harrows -- would work best for their farm and cultural practices.

"I know many dealers are willing to bring out vertical tillage tools and have farmers test them out on their farms so they can see what will work ... and what wouldn't," Presley said.

Farmers could also see the machines at work at outdoor farm shows. Next week's Husker Harvest Days, located near Grand Island, Neb., would be an excellent chance for farmers in the market for vertical tillage tools to see them in action.

Near the end of the webinar, a question was asked about horsepower needed to run vertical tillage tools.

Davidson said a 20-foot vertical tillage tool will require a tractor with upwards of 250 horsepower and front-wheel assistance. A good rule of thumb would be 10 horsepower per foot.

Davidson said he would even estimate it at 10 to 12 horsepower per foot for a processing vertical tillage tool and 15 feet for an aeration type with the kind of terrain factoring into this estimation as well. A hilly terrain will require even more horsepower to climb hills and maintain the speed, he said.

There were several questions about the use of vertical tillage with other tillage tools such as strip tillage tools and in-line ripping tools. Davidson and Presley said the vertical tillage implements work well alone or with other types of tillage machines.

Another question was: What is the range of widths of these machines? Davidson said the narrowest width for vertical tillage tool he knows of is 6 to 8 feet wide for the aeration type of tool, up to the widest widths of around 40 feet. The most common size, however, is 20 to 30 feet wide, he said.

To listen the Vertical Tillage Tool webinar, go to http://about.dtnpf.com/…. The rebroadcast should be available there soon.

Russ Quinn can be reached at russ.quinn@telventdtn.com

(GH/CZ/AG)

© Copyright 2010 DTN/The Progressive Farmer, A Telvent Brand. All rights reserved.