Strip-till is a system in which residue-free strips of soil are tilled ahead of planting using a knife apparatus, such as a fertilizer injection shank. The strips are approximately 6 inches wide or about 1/3 the row width and 4 to 8 inches deep. These strips are cleared of residue and tilled for warming and drying purposes either before or during the planting operation. Fertilizer is often incorporated at time of strip tillage for better seed placement. The seeds are planted directly into the strip of loosened soil
Where soil moisture conditions are suitable, strip-till creates narrow-width tilled strips, traditionally in the fall, to increase early spring soil moisture evaporation and increase soil temperature in the top 2 inches.