IMG_05581.jpg
SHANK SMEARING. In 2014, Canadian strip-tiller Mike Verdonck moved from a shank style rig to a 16-row, coulter-style Soil Warrior from Environmental Tillage Systems. He says the discs set on a light setting help avoid smearing and ripping his heavy clay soils, but they’re still powerful enough to handle high residue and actively growing cover crops. Photo Courtesy: Mike Verdonck

Bio-Rehabbing Soil with Strip-Till & Cover Cropping

Reduced tillage and year-round cover cropping make Mike Verdonck’s farm operation near Montreal, more profitable and resistant to a punishing northern climate.

For Canadian strip-tiller Mike Verdonck, weed pressure, erosion and a reliance on heavy herbicide and fertilizer applications are all symptoms of “sick” soil. 

The antidote? Reducing tillage, moving to a year-round, multi-species cover cropping system and putting a focus on rebuilding and maintaining soil health. 

Verdonck farms 2,500 acres of mostly corn and soybeans near Montreal, Quebec. Farming heavy clay soils, his latitude exposes him to difficult climate challenges, compounded by more than a decade…

To view the content, please register or login.
Registration is free. Use your registered user account to watch summit video and webinar replays, download eGuides, and manage your user profile.
NNTC_Logo_2025_4c.png

The National No-Tillage Conference returns January 7-10, 2025! Build and refine your no-till system with dozens of new ideas and connections at the 33rd Annual National No-Tillage Conference in Louisville, Ky. Jan. 7-10, 2025. Experience an energizing 4-day agenda featuring inspiring general session speakers, expert-led No-Till Classrooms and collaborative No-Till Roundtables. Plus, Certified Crop Adviser credits will be offered.

Learn More

Top Articles

Must Read Free Eguides

Download these helpful knowledge building tools

View More

Get all things Cover Crop all the time!

Start Your Membership