Zone Till

The educational materials listed on this page are about Zone Till.

Zone tillage, also known as vertical tillage, uses special equipment called the zone builder to cut strips into the subsoil. This method of conservation tillage is similar to strip tillage and is known for being able to improve soil health, foster deep root growth and improve water movement in the soil. Following the zone builder, a row crop planter creates a seed-bed moving the previous plant's residue to the side. Zone tillage is preferred to no-till for systems that are susceptible to compaction, and in humid and cold climates where it is better to remove some of the residue from the soil surface. Read more about zone tillage and other reduced tillage options in Building Soils for Better Crops.