Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Farming in the northeast corner of Montana means living with a simple truth: you are always about one week away from a drought. Between wide-ranging soil types — from loamy soil to sandy ground — and unpredictable weather, saving moisture is a non-negotiable priority.
For brothers Brady and Bailey Berntson, conserving moisture pushed them to adopt zero-till in 2008, initially swapping a hoe drill for a disc drill. By 2013, they introduced stripper headers to retain heavy straw residue from crops, such as wheat and durum.
While heavy residue retains crucial soil moisture, it can cause problems at seeding time. Discs can drag or "hairpin" straw into the seed trench. To solve this, the Berntsons switched to a heavy, double-disc Spyder drill. Its alternating disc sizes slice cleanly through thick stubble without stalling, allowing them to seed directly into heavy residue, even when running durum on durum.
The strategy pays off when dry weather hits. During spring planting, while bare ground dries out quickly, soil beneath the high residue stays noticeably cooler and retains moisture right near the surface.
Soil temp tests revealed up to a 30-to-40-degree F drop under high-residue cover compared to tilled fields. That temperature difference buys the crop crucial extra time to fill during intense heat, making soil residue one of the most valuable assets on the farm, the brothers say.
Website: realagriculture.com
#farming #agriculture #agronomy #notill
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Farming in the northeast corner of Montana means living with a simple truth: you are always about one week away from a drought. Between wide-ranging soil types — from loamy soil to sandy ground — and unpredictable weather, saving moisture is a non-negotiable priority.
For brothers Brady and Bailey Berntson, conserving moisture pushed them to adopt zero-till in 2008, initially swapping a hoe drill for a disc drill. By 2013, they introduced stripper headers to retain heavy straw residue from crops, such as wheat and durum.
While heavy residue retains crucial soil moisture, it can cause problems at seeding time. Discs can drag or "hairpin" straw into the seed trench. To solve this, the Berntsons switched to a heavy, double-disc Spyder drill. Its alternating disc sizes slice cleanly through thick stubble without stalling, allowing them to seed directly into heavy residue, even when running durum on durum.
The strategy pays off when dry weather hits. During spring planting, while bare ground dries out quickly, soil beneath the high residue stays noticeably cooler and retains moisture right near the surface.
Soil temp tests revealed up to a 30-to-40-degree F drop under high-residue cover compared to tilled fields. That temperature difference buys the crop crucial extra time to fill during intense heat, making soil residue one of the most valuable assets on the farm, the brothers say.
Website: realagriculture.com
#farming #agriculture #agronomy #notill
Find us on our other social media platforms:
X/Twitter: twitter.com/realagriculture
Instagram: instagram.com/realagriculture
Facebook: facebook.com/realagmedia
