Ag Tire Talk: IF/VF vs. Standard Tire Technology

Mar 07, 2024

MAXAM:“The development of IF (increased flexion) and VF (very increased flexion) technology is allowing working air pressures to be lowered significantly delivering improved performance and better crop yields.”

BKT:“There are definite advantages in using IF/VF tires and applications where they work and perform much better than standard tires.”

YOKOHAMA OFF HIGHWAY TIRES AMERICA: “That’s because IF and VF Tires can help farmers reduce compaction force on their soils by 20 to 40%, or carry higher loads than conventional radials without increasing compaction.”

MICHELIN: “Independent studies conducted by Harper Adams University and University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, both concluded using Michelin (IF/VF) tires, at properly recommended field air pressures, will produce up to an additional 4.31% yield.

YOKOHAMA TWS:“How can tires with IF/VF Technology carry the same load with less air pressure? The answer is because the sidewalls have been redesigned to carry some of the load, whereas standard radial tires use the air pressure to carry the entire load.”

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.