Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Eight years after building a 32-row strip-till “beast,” Greg Vermeersch says the MegaStripper has become one of the most efficient pieces of equipment at VanMeer Farms — but that doesn’t mean the farm is finished tinkering with it.
In this episode of RealAgriculture’s Soil School, Vermeersch takes a closer look at the home-built strip-till unit at the Courtland, Ont., farm and shares what his team has learned about strip tillage, fertility placement, cover crops, and where the machine could still be improved.
When RealAgriculture first visited the MegaStripper five years ago, Vermeersch explained that the farm had built the machine around an 80-foot, 32-row planter frame. The goal was to match the planter width, reduce tillage, concentrate fertilizer in the strip, and maintain efficiency in the farm’s relatively small fields and sandy soils.
Today, those fundamentals haven’t changed. The MegaStripper remains a spring-only machine, using relatively light row units to create strips without requiring excessive horsepower. It can carry 12 tonnes of dry fertilizer and uses high-flotation tires and swivelling rear wheels to help manoeuvre through fields.
“This machine... is probably covering 50 to 60 acres an hour when he’s going,” says Vermeersch. “All your fertility, all your tillage, one-man show. It’s really good. We just love it.”
The fertility program, however, has evolved. VanMeer Farms initially continued applying liquid starter with the corn planter, concerned that inconsistencies in the strip could limit early nutrient uptake. Those concerns didn’t materialize, and the farm eventually removed liquid fertilizer from the planter altogether. For the past five years, dry fertilizer applied with the MegaStripper has been the priority.
Variable-rate application has also become an important part of the system. After initially applying flat rates, Vermeersch says the farm became more comfortable with the machine and its fertility program and began using variable-rate technology, which he says has delivered positive returns.
Strip till also complements the farm’s use of cover crops. On sandy soils that can lose moisture quickly, the strips help warm the seed zone in spring, while cover crops help hold soil in place during heavy fall rains and reduce erosion risk.
After eight seasons, however, Vermeersch already has a wish list for the next version. He would favour a five-section bar rather than the current three-section design, along with scales on the fertilizer cart for automatic calibration. Hydraulic residue managers and hydraulic downforce would also provide greater in-cab adjustability, particularly when moving into heavier soils.
“We’re always changing and adapting,” says Vermeersch.
Despite those potential modifications, efficiency remains one of the MegaStripper’s biggest strengths. Pulled by a 400-horsepower tractor at roughly eight to nine mph, it combines tillage and fertility into a single high-capacity pass — exactly what Vermeersch and his team set out to accomplish eight years ago.
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Eight years after building a 32-row strip-till “beast,” Greg Vermeersch says the MegaStripper has become one of the most efficient pieces of equipment at VanMeer Farms — but that doesn’t mean the farm is finished tinkering with it.
In this episode of RealAgriculture’s Soil School, Vermeersch takes a closer look at the home-built strip-till unit at the Courtland, Ont., farm and shares what his team has learned about strip tillage, fertility placement, cover crops, and where the machine could still be improved.
When RealAgriculture first visited the MegaStripper five years ago, Vermeersch explained that the farm had built the machine around an 80-foot, 32-row planter frame. The goal was to match the planter width, reduce tillage, concentrate fertilizer in the strip, and maintain efficiency in the farm’s relatively small fields and sandy soils.
Today, those fundamentals haven’t changed. The MegaStripper remains a spring-only machine, using relatively light row units to create strips without requiring excessive horsepower. It can carry 12 tonnes of dry fertilizer and uses high-flotation tires and swivelling rear wheels to help manoeuvre through fields.
“This machine... is probably covering 50 to 60 acres an hour when he’s going,” says Vermeersch. “All your fertility, all your tillage, one-man show. It’s really good. We just love it.”
The fertility program, however, has evolved. VanMeer Farms initially continued applying liquid starter with the corn planter, concerned that inconsistencies in the strip could limit early nutrient uptake. Those concerns didn’t materialize, and the farm eventually removed liquid fertilizer from the planter altogether. For the past five years, dry fertilizer applied with the MegaStripper has been the priority.
Variable-rate application has also become an important part of the system. After initially applying flat rates, Vermeersch says the farm became more comfortable with the machine and its fertility program and began using variable-rate technology, which he says has delivered positive returns.
Strip till also complements the farm’s use of cover crops. On sandy soils that can lose moisture quickly, the strips help warm the seed zone in spring, while cover crops help hold soil in place during heavy fall rains and reduce erosion risk.
After eight seasons, however, Vermeersch already has a wish list for the next version. He would favour a five-section bar rather than the current three-section design, along with scales on the fertilizer cart for automatic calibration. Hydraulic residue managers and hydraulic downforce would also provide greater in-cab adjustability, particularly when moving into heavier soils.
“We’re always changing and adapting,” says Vermeersch.
Despite those potential modifications, efficiency remains one of the MegaStripper’s biggest strengths. Pulled by a 400-horsepower tractor at roughly eight to nine mph, it combines tillage and fertility into a single high-capacity pass — exactly what Vermeersch and his team set out to accomplish eight years ago.
Website: realagriculture.com
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