Vertical Farming

You’ve removed dense and compacted soil layers, balanced fertility and pH through the profile and set up your soil for vertical farming. Here are the final boxes to check to move away from horizontal farming.

Once you balance fertility and pH in the soil profile, and adjust to making small, more frequent lime applications, you probably won’t need to mix fertilizer into the soil, says Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal field agronomist.

A chocolate layer cake is good. Layers of dense or compacted soil aren’t so good. Once you’ve probed or dug and found the layers put in place by horizontal farming tools, it’s time to remove them. Here’s how.

Vertical tillage is not a single tool or a single pass — it’s a comprehensive system, says Ken Ferrie. Here’s what you need to understand about a vertical tillage system and the first step of removing horizontal layers.

Removing compaction and density layers before transitioning to a vertical system can add 15 bu. to 20 bu. per acre and might lower cost of production, according to Farm Journal Test Plot research.

Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie shares two videos to explain how to successfully set and operate your hybrid chisel and inline ripper.

What is vertical farming and how can it set you up for future government incentives? Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal field agronomist, explains it often requires mixing and matching tools for primary and secondary tillage.