Oxford County's Vollmershausen Farms has been selected as the 2016 Soil Champion, an award handed out annually by the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association to recognize leaders in sustainable soil management.
Six generations of Vollmershausens have been farming near Innerkip.
Tyler Vollmershausen grows corn, dry beans, and cereals, as well as keeping some of their cereal seed for use as cover crops.
The Vollmershausens practice strip tillage using a Soil Warrior, a technology that has helped reduce their fertilizer usage, boost yields, and address labour issues.
They don’t do any fall passes on their lighter soils, but in fall passes on heavier land, the machine penetrates 10 to 11 inches into the ground to lift the soil and create a berm, leaving two thirds of the soil surface undisturbed.
This vertical rolling tillage action locks the soil together, leaving a rough bottom that prevents the strip from washing over the winter.
The raised berm dries out more rapidly in spring, allowing them to get on the land a few days sooner.
A single spring pass on the remaining three quarters of their acreage is about five inches deep, with the Soil Warrior uniformly blending the soil and fertilizer to create an ideal seed bed combined with precise nutrient placement.
Vollmershausens' key advice to other growers is focused on continuous learning and taking part in education events.
