After the last potato has been harvested each fall, the R.D. Offutt Farm team quickly turns its attention to the next crop – and how to best prepare fields for a successful spring planting the following year. Oftentimes, that means doing fall tillage to break up crop residue and compacted soil layers, improving water infiltration for anticipated rain and snow. But, finding the right tillage equipment and keeping up with new technologies can be a challenge.
In late October, R.D. Offutt Farm team members joined RDO Equipment Co. team members at a field near Perham, Minn., for a tillage equipment demonstration. Tyler Zima, RDO Equipment Co. Tillage Product Manager, said it was a great opportunity for the two sides of RDO to discuss field preparation and soil profile needs.
“We want farmers to be successful and provide them with the right equipment for the right job,” Zima said. “At the demo, we evaluated six different pieces of equipment with various options to make sure that our RDO Farm partners have the tools they need to manage the potato crop.”
About 20 RDO team members gathered to look at John Deere CC19 Coulter Chisel, 2660VT Variable Intensity Tillage, 2680H High Performance Disk, 2730 Combination Ripper, Summers DC2830 Disk Chisel and Lemken Rubin 12.
Charlie Wachlin, RDO Regional Manager, said it was interesting to see new equipment in action and discuss what tools would benefit the farm. Ultimately, Wachlin chose to invest in the 2660VT, which he said will help with corn residue at RDO’s Lisbon, ND farm.
“The 2660VT did a good job sizing the corn residue profile, which will allow us to better prepare fields for next year’s crop,” Wachlin said. “As a result of this tool, the residue will break down, more quickly returning nutrients to the soil … and we’ll have less foreign material when we harvest.”
Wachlin said learnings from using the 2660VT will be shared with other RDO farm leaders, as they are always considering equipment to be more efficient.
