As we head into the spring, vertical tillage seems to always come up as a topic of conversation: it’s fit in no-till and it’s acceptance as a field tool in general.

The term vertical tillage unfortunately covers a broad spectrum of tillage tools but can be generally defined as any equipment that doesn’t create a horizontal layer that can allow soil movement but also incorporates residue, breaks ups compaction and levels the seedbed.

This however is a loose definition since each company tries to separate itself by advertising combinations of single and tandem disks, coulters, spike and roller baskets. These attachment combinations, coupled with the amount of offset the equipment can run, radically change the soil disturbance.

These tools can be a good option to run in a corn and soybeans rotation to help break up persistent corn residue but there are some downsides with these tools.

They require a decent amount of horsepower, about 7 to 13 per foot. Depending on field slope and existing residue they can cause erosion on even modest slopes depending on how aggressive the tool is run.

Because of their increasing popularity there has been significant research on the tool’s usefulness in field operations and the possibilities of expanding its use as an alternative to minimum tillage.

But most research has shown they are to be used solely for residue incorporation and a single field pass still leaves anywhere from 65 percent to 90 percent residue; however two passes can significantly reduce residue cover and the operation mirrors that of a tandem disk.

A study in Wisconsin found soil loss with vertical tillage increased erosion 2 to 3 times over no-till and was only about ½ ton less than using a disk and field cultivator. While proponents of tillage have always thought the fluffiness the soil exhibits after tillage operations increase water infiltration, the opposite is actually true.

Even in fields that only received vertical tillage, the infiltration rate was half of that in no-tilled fields; so while you still might plant with a no-till drill or planter, the true no-till benefit is not being realized.

This fact alone should make you pause and determine if residue management through the use of tillage is worthwhile. While these tools still have a fit on field operations, they are more of a transition tool more so than a long-term solution similar to strip tilling.

To truly deal with and manage residue is to improve soil structure and biological activity, and the best way to do that is with the use of cover crops. Cover crops are a good alternative and have proven over and over again to increase yields, water infiltration and improve residue management.

While no-till is a good conservation planting method, it is only a piece of the no-till system.

A corn-bean rotation only has plants living for about 32 percent of the year, which greatly reduces the amount of biological activity in the soil. By adding cover crops to this rotation the percentage doubles and this increased biological activity radically improves the soil’s ability to hold water, nutrients, fight compaction and control residue levels.

For the cost of a new piece of iron, an investment in cover crops might be the better choice to long-term management of residue on your farm.

Andy Gaver is a conservationist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Butler County.