Holding Product Demo Days is a great way to introduce a little March Madness (the good sort)!

We held two demo days in March 2019, together with Cowra, Forbes and West Wyalong Machinery Centres. These days offered a great chance for local (and not-so local) farmers to view ripping and tillage demonstrations, be among the first to get a glimpse of new K-Line Ag products, and check out a range of New Holland tractors. Its a great opportunity to see our products working in real conditions in the paddock, rather than just displayed in a showroom. Add that to a free lunch, prize giveaways and the opportunity to meet the teams from CMC, FMC, WWMC and K-Line Ag in person… it’s not much wonder these days were a rounding success!

Cowra Demo Day: March 19

Cowra’s Product Demo Day on March 19 was a Ripper of a day! A very welcome few mm of rain the night before settled the dust, which made the demos much more pleasant for onlookers. We had a great turnout of local farmers and others who had travelled from further afield.

Throughout the day we ran a number of product demonstrations: a Speedtiller Powerflex^®, 7-tyne MaxxRipper^®, and our ‘soon-to-be-released’ SpeedChisel. Watch for this exciting new development to be launched later this year – sign up to our eNews to make sure you get first dibs!

3 lucky attendees came up trumps with our demo day prize draw. Congratulations to Lawrence Parrish of Canowindra, Gary Amos of Cowra, and Tim Johnstone of Woodstock!

West Wyalong Demo Day: March 22

A few days later, the teams headed out to West Wyalong, ready to roll again. It was great to meet the team at West Wyalong Machinery Centre, the newest dealership on board with Forbes Machinery Centre Group. Being a relatively new area for K-Line Ag equipment, this was an excellent opportunity to show our machinery to local farmers and agronomists on their own turf.

The day was off to a great start as the teams and early-bird farmers watched a beautiful storm roll in, bringing with it the desperately needed rain. The dark clouds and the smell of rain put a grin on everyone’s faces… and made for some hasty team work saving the tents from blowing away (check it out below)!

Once the storm had passed, we got on with the product demos. The ground was incredibly hard; it had been flooded a few years ago and then had cattle on it, making for severely tight compacted ground: a great opportunity to demonstrate what K-Line Ag machines are really made of. There’s a reason we build them tough, and build them to work in tough Australian conditions! We ran the MaxxRipper^® first to loosen up the compacted ground, and then demonstrated the ability of the Speedtiller Powerflex^® to create a beautiful level seedbed.

Congratulations to the lucky winners of the West Wyalong product demo prize draw: Peter Morton of Stockinbingal, and Andrew Forsyth of West Wyalong!

Fab Feedback

Thank you for your valued support!

We’d like to thank everyone who attended both product demo days for their support; it was great to catch up with some familiar faces, and meet other new ones! We hope you enjoyed the day as much as we did; make sure you follow our social media pages to keep in touch about future events near you. Plus, make sure you check out our Events page for the next events on the K-Line Ag horizon.

To the teams at Cowra, Forbes and West Wyalong Machinery Centres: many thanks for your help to host both days, and for all the work behind the scenes that went into it. Thanks to FarmPix Photogaphy and Brett Naseby Creative for snapping some great footage of both events. And thanks to Andy Smith of Cowra, and Mark & Kylie Warner of West Wyalong, for generously lending us their paddocks for the day!

Getting your soil right is one of the most important tasks for any farmer, and ‘plough pans’ of compacted, dry soil are regularly encountered across the often drought-stricken Australian continent.

David McMillan knows this all too well. McMillan’s property in Young, New South Wales is a mixed operation with stud cattle and lambs, as well as various grain crops. Dry, compacted soil affected by decades of ploughing and planting needs to be carefully worked to allow moisture back in, which in turn allows roots to grow deeper.

View them in Action!...

Across his property, McMillan has been using deep tillage equipment; the K-Line Ag Speedtiller in combination with the heavy duty MaxxRipper^® ground-breaking tool, to get his soil to the right consistency and balance. Recently, K-Line used his property for a demo day of the two products.

Read the full Farms & Farm Machinery article HERE

Read our recent blog article on Soil Compaction & Deep Ripping

The main feature of CTF is to limit traffic by agricultural machinery to defined areas, rather than across the whole paddock. Traffic is confined to permanent wheel tracks - limiting compaction to those tracks, while the rest of the seedbed remains undisturbed. The best way to implement CTF is to develop a unique system that fits your own farm, your machinery configuration and circumstances.

Benefits of controlled traffic farming

Implementing a system of CTF will allow more precise operations that separates a paddock into distinct zones. The benefits that this allows are as follows:

• Less energy is needed for seedbed preparation when driving over the compact traffic lanes which can result in an average saving up to 25% in fuel.
• Improved soil structure through reduced compaction, resulting in improved water holding capacity.
• Generally less herbicide and fertiliser is used by managing paddocks in ‘zones’ of similar soil types (and reduced costs from less overlap due to more accurate driving). Herbicide use is reduced by removing double sprayed corners, with less chance of herbicide drift into remnant vegetation and waterways.
• Reduced tractor capital; firm permanent tramlines and softer soil between tramlines reduce power requirements.

All these benefits will result in improved crop yields. An added benefit of CTF is that if you are renovating your soil to reduce subsurface or seedbed compaction through deep ripping, soil will continue to remain loose and friable for many years after natural ‘settling’ as soil is not being trafficked back to its original compacted state.

CTF and wet soils

In most parts of the cropping zones of south-east Australia, this year has been exceptionally wet. While the benefits of CTF have proven themselves by having a firm base for farming operations, paddocks have suffered from deep rutted tramlines this year due to machinery travelling over wet conditions throughout the winter and spring.

Continuing wet conditions, and indeed flooding in many areas, also promise a difficult harvest. We are going to see a lot more deeply rutted tramlines from the haul grain carts and the heavy harvesters. Paddocks this harvest are already starting to become a mess.

Restore your cropping land

Those wet soils will eventually dry out, and there will be a good store of subsoil moisture ready for the following crop. But how to renovate those rutted and water compacted soils?

Fortunately, K-line Ag has the machinery to recondition those damaged cropping soils.

In severely rutted soils with extensive areas of compaction, deep ripping may be the answer. K-line Ag has a range of rippers designed to break those deeply compacted soils, restoring structure and drainage to the subsoil, with minimal disturbance to the topsoil.

Which now leaves the topsoil to be reconditioned.

The TrackAttack^® by K-Line Ag is specifically designed for CTF. This machine will level out wheel tracks, ruts and uneven terrain. The alternate rows of discs cut through the ground, loosening and moving the soil onto the tram-line, then the crumbler roller follows behind breaking down the soil and cloddy dirt. This leaves the tramline with a flat and even weed free surface, making it easier and smoother for equipment to pass.

But what if the tramlines and bog ruts are even more severe, as they promise to be in many cropping areas this year due to heavy rainfall?

This is where K-Line Ag’s Speedtiller^® provides the solution. The Speedtiller^® will do a full cultivation of the paddock, moving soil about to fill ruts and hollows; and levelling the paddock for a fresh start for the following crop or pasture.

And after a flood

Many paddocks will have suffered flood damage after constant rain. Exposed and washed soil will be compacted and rendered almost structureless. Again, this is where K-line Ag can offer solutions. The range of rippers and the versatile Speedtiller^® are best suited to these conditions, and can restore the soil structure in time for next season’s crop. Better times are ahead!

Global climate change causes waterlogging events to be more frequent, severe, and unpredictable. Some wet areas will become wetter and longer periods of waterlogging will also become common. Loss of production is the result.

The value of this decline in yield to the Australian grains industry is an estimated loss of AU$180 M. Waterlogging can cause 40–50% wheat yield reduction in a wet year.

Waterlogging restricts the ability of the soil to provide the best conditions for plant growth. Soil needs the right balance of water and air for plant growth to thrive. Waterlogging reduces the development of plant roots and starves the plant of oxygen and nutrients.

Waterlogging may be caused by the natural slope of the land; by poor internal drainage (which may be natural or induced by traffic or cultivation); by the nature of the soil resulting in surface crusting and a hard pan; or by the impact of rain on bare, unprotected soil.

Why waterlogging needs to be managed

Waterlogging can not only lead to a loss of production in crops and pastures, but also:

• reduced ability to travel over the ground
• loss of nutrients
• soil structure decline, and
• recharge to saline water tables.

Management options for waterlogging

How you manage a waterlogged soil will depend on its severity, position in the landscape, and land use. You can adapt crop or pasture management to the waterlogged conditions, reduce the waterlogging on-site, and reduce surface water flow to the susceptible site, or a combination of these options as part of a whole-farm water management plan.

Options include:

• Do nothing: just avoid waterlogged areas when seeding, spraying, and harvesting - not the best option.
• Use more tolerant crops or pastures, and suitable agronomy.
• Alter nitrogen management to suit the waterlogged situation.
• Use shallow surface drains on flat waterlogged areas.
• Manage water coming from upslope, to divert surface water flows.
• Use raised beds on vulnerable flats, with shallow surface drainage.
• Use strategic deep tillage to break up compacted layers or surface crusts.
• In high rainfall areas and irrigation areas with clay soils, use mole drains.

Use tolerant crop species

Some grains are more tolerant of waterlogging than others:

• Most grain legumes and canola are more susceptible to waterlogging than cereals and faba beans.
• Grain legumes, in decreasing order of tolerance, are: faba bean, yellow lupin, grass pea, narrow-leafed lupin, chickpea, lentil, field pea.
• Oats tend to recover better from waterlogging than wheat and barley.
• Wheat and barley varieties have a large genetic range of waterlogging tolerance. A local agronomist can advise on the best varieties for a particular season.

Adjust seeding

Options to reduce crop damage from waterlogging include:

• Seed crops early.
• Use long-season varieties.
• Plant waterlogging-susceptible paddocks first and early. Crop damage is particularly severe if plants are waterlogged between germination and emergence.
• Resow the crop if waterlogging delays emergence.
• Higher sowing rates increase the number of heads and improve crop competition with weeds that take advantage of stressed crops.

Use shallow surface drains

Use shallow relief drains to remove surface ponding and run-off water. These drains won’t reduce existing waterlogging, but do reduce the likelihood of future waterlogging.

Use surface water management upslope of waterlogging

Prevention is better than cure: prevent water from flowing downslope where it can lead to erosion, waterlogging, and inundation. All drainage should be part of a whole farm water management system.

Use strategic deep tillage

Strategic deep tillage is a single or occasional practice with a deep ripper, rotary, spader, moldboard plow or disk plow. Deep tillage can loosen compact soil layers, particularly the clay subsoil, improving drainage in the subsoil, thus reducing waterlogging. Gypsum may also be incorporated to reduce sodicity and improve soil structure, which also reduces waterlogging.

Deep ripping loosens hard layers of soil by using sturdy tines to 35–50 cm depth. It is not suitable for all soils and crops, so season, timing, soil type, tine spacing, shallow leading tines, soil moisture content, and working depth are all factors to consider. Combined with controlled traffic farming, strategic deep tillage may show benefits for three seasons but can be as long as ten seasons with average wheat yield increases of about 0.6 t/ha.

K-line Agriculture has produced a range of deep rippers that are designed to shatter sub-soil compaction, which can greatly improve internal soil drainage.

The MaxxRipper^® has deep ripping tines for breaking up compacted soils to a depth of 600mm, while the LightningRipper^® busts surface crusts and hard pans, with less horsepower requirements and minimal soil disturbance.

Both these machines have specific advantages, and both can prove useful tools in soils where waterlogging is a problem.

Develop & maintain raised beds on waterlogged flats

Raised beds allow drainage from the beds into the corresponding channels. This provides deeper unsaturated soil for plant growth in the beds.

The K-Line Ag SpeedBuster^® is the ideal machine for managing and maintaining raised bed operations for both dry land and irrigation. Where waterlogging is a recurring problem, a raised bed system could be the answer to your drainage needs, and the SpeedBuster^®, with its large 24” discs will penetrate and aerate compacted soils to improve drainage and prepare the seedbed for sowing. The system is ideal for renovating existing beds and sizing and incorporating residue. The use of this bedding machinery allows excess water to drain down the furrows and out to adjacent waterways.

[1]

Growing Sunflowers as far south as Parkes NSW is a tall order. A sunflower crop is traditionally considered difficult to grow in southern NSW districts, mainly due to low summer rainfall. NSW DPI recommends planting sunflowers into 80-100cm of wet soil to minimise the risk of crop failure*.

The K-Line Ag MaxxRipper has helped Parkes district farmers achieve results this year. Deep ripping paddocks in preparation for seeding this Sunflower crop enabled access to subsoil moisture, therefore playing an important role in yielding the crop of sunflowers shown below.

We ran trials of deep ripping verses no deep ripping prior to seeding this Sunflower crop, and the image below clearly shows these results:

The one-size-fits-all approach almost never works. Imagine if all the shoe manufacturers in the world only made one size of shoe in one style? Very few people would be happy because that size or style would not fit their unique needs. Think if they were all size 40 high heels – not a good fit for most farmers!

The ability to customise to need, soil type, crop rotation, season, and other considerations factors into a producer’s choice of one type of tillage point over another. Winged cast points and ripping points are popular options with strong use cases. Understanding the benefits of both can help address your unique soil or tillage issues and provide noticeable impacts on common crop production concerns like crop cultivation, seed germination, and soil conservation.

Choosing the correct tillage point for a particular soil type or application is the first step in controlling the aggressiveness of the tillage for that paddock. Point selection also allows a producer to fit the point’s strengths into his or her strategic tillage plan, taking into account the variables mentioned above, as well as any additional mechanical means or chemical applications scheduled for deployment on the ground.

Winged cast points are designed to help establish the crop in the soil medium while still minimizing the chances of erosion. These small points, with their slightly triangular shape and channelized appearance, are best suited for mixing soils or inverting soils of differing types. Soils flow up over the tips, with the channel and wing combination helping to turn them as the implement is propelled forward by the tractor. Winged cast points have been shown to reduce rill erosion in sandy and loamy soils in university tests.

Conversely, ripping points are designed to not mix soils like their winged cast cousins, but rather to disturb them at a sub-surface level. The straight design and bevelled tip of a ripping point is meant to break up hard pan deposits beneath the soil while leaving the surface, and any residues there, largely undisturbed. This point is a good option for farms with harder packing or sticky soils like clays.

Since these points are usage-specific, choosing an implement that accommodates both drives down costs and improves efficiency. K-Line Ag’s MaxxRipper implement offers both point types, giving producers the opportunity to select the point that’s best-suited for the soils within their acreage.

K-Line Ag MaxxRipper Point Options

Once seeding is done, many crop producers breathe a sigh of relief as the frenetic pace of the planting season slows. However, the work of raising crops doesn’t stop when planting does. The performance of grain crops during the early to mid-tillering timeframe is a great opportunity use plant development to assess soils for compaction issues.

Soil Compaction Impacts

Because it is a subsurface problem, actually seeing soil compaction can be tough. In established tramways, frequently trafficked locations like headlands and turnarounds, and reclaimed areas like fence rows or old road beds, soil compaction is frequently present due to land use practices. But in other areas of paddocks, soil compaction can be hidden – the result of changes in soil layers and patterning beneath the surface, or the effects of rain-drought cycles on pore spaces between soil particles.

So how can a producer know if compaction exists, and if that compaction is impacting crop growth and ultimately yields? The clues can come from the early development of grain plants.

Grains begin to tiller^[1] (a botanical term for the development of side stems from the plant’s original “parent stem” which emerged directly from the plant’s seed) about six weeks after emergence. By six weeks, the plant has had adequate time to grow, photosynthesise energy, and send out the adventitious (lateral) roots that help it reach soil nutrients. These roots also help the plant maintain its uprightness (standability) as it grows and begins to gain weight as the heads come on.

Optimally, the plant has both adventitious roots and strong central roots (tap roots or seminal roots) to access moisture and nutrients throughout the vertical profile of the soil. But in compacted soils, downward growing roots struggle to break through the compaction, and even adventitious roots can be shallower than normal, growing laterally for further distances when they encounter compacted soils.

Access to deep soils matters for several reasons. As mentioned before, development of deep roots improves the plant’s standability as the grains begin to head out. Heading out makes grains more top-heavy, and a good, deep root system gives the plant an opportunity to offset and balance out some of that weight. A good root system is also key for accessing deeper pockets of moisture in the soil. More well-developed roots mean a plant has better access to moisture, making it less dependent on in-season rains and less likely to be stressed by drier conditions.

Brianna Russel, Glenlee Partnership shows how soil compaction causes excessively lateral adventitious roots

Helping Your Crops Find Depth

Crops at the tillering stage will show the root growth needed to help you determine if soil compaction is causing growth delays. Digging up a plant is the best approach, as it will leave the most roots intact and give you the best results for evaluation. Plants with long, thick, full-looking roots that are approximately as tall as the above-ground portion of the plant are the gold standard; those will shorter root systems or the excessively lateral adventitious roots mentioned above mean you’ll want to explore the paddock for compaction issues.

The best way to assist plants in developing the deep-grown roots they need for standability and access to nutrients and moisture is to break up the sub-soil compaction where it exists. Doing this without sacrificing important surface trashes and organic matters is key, so employing a specially designed deep ripping implement is a perfect solution.

Deep rippers are designed to shatter sub-soil compactions with minimal disturbance to the upper or surface layers of the soil. This is important because it accomplishes the task of combatting the compaction issues without overly aggressive disruptions of the soil’s surface. By maintaining the surface organic matter and top-level humus, there is less likelihood of soil erosion and decreased soil efficiency.

Getting to the root of your sub-soil compaction issue starts with the plants and continues with effective mechanical intervention. Using a deep ripper to break up compaction and give plant roots a path to moisture and growth generates the happier plants and better yield returns every producer wants.

[1]

After years of no-till conservation practices, a need for deep tillage equipment has arisen. Manufactured for breaking hard pans and deep tillage applications, the K-Line Ag MaxxRipper® loosens up tough, compact soil to prepare it for planting.

Built tough to withstand harsh conditions, it can break up compacted soils to a depth of 600mm (23″). Where soil compaction is encountered, the K-Line Ag MaxxRipper® is your answer for:

• Superior root structure
• Greater nutrient uptake
• Better moisture availability
• Healthier plant development
• Higher yields

How It Works: Benefits of Deep Ripping

How the K-Line Ag MaxxRipper® System Works:

Soil Compaction Issues, Before Deep Ripping:

Soil Structure After Deep Ripping:

Watch Videos of the MaxxRipper^® In Action

This video explains the features of the K-Line Ag MaxxRipper® and the benefits of introducing it into your farming operation.

Case Study: Soil Solutions & Deep Tillage Equipment at Young NSW

Case Study: Soil Compaction Solutions & Deep Tillage Equipment – David McMillan, Young NSW

Getting your soil right is one of the most important tasks for any farmer, and ‘plough pans’ of compacted, dry soil are regularly encountered across the often drought-stricken Australian continent.

David McMillan knows this all too well. McMillan’s property in Young, New South Wales is a mixed operation with stud cattle and lambs, as well as various grain crops. Dry, compacted soil affected by decades of ploughing and planting needs to be carefully worked to allow moisture back in, which in turn allows roots to grow deeper.

View footage of K-Line Ag products running on McMillan’s farm, and follow the prompts to read the full case study at this link: McMillan Case Study

The Proof is in The Pudding

MaxxRipper^® Trial Results

At K-Line Ag, we’re constantly trialling and testing our products, and we’re accumulating indisputable evidence of the benefits of strategic deep ripping. Keep an eye on our eNews and social media channels for more trial result updates as they become available!

The K-Line Ag LightningRipper^® is cleverly engineered with tines that are narrow but strong and reach deep into the soil. It busts hard pans to improve root penetration and plant development, nutrient and moisture entry and retention.

LightningRipper^®

These specifications are subject to change without prior notice.

LightningRipper^®

LightningRipper^®

LightningRipper^® Brochure

Download

LightningRipper^® Operating Manual
3125D-3130D-3135D Series

Download

The MaxxRipper® by K-Line Ag is designed to tackle soil compaction problems, offering deep tillage solutions that prepare your soil for planting. With deep ripping tines capable of breaking up compacted soils to a depth of approximately 600mm (23”), the MaxxRipper® ensures superior root structure, greater nutrient uptake, better moisture availability, healthier plant development, and ultimately, higher yields.

Where soil compaction is encountered, the MaxxRipper^® is your answer for:

The K-Line Ag MaxxRipper^® offers groundbreaking performance to maximise yields. Don’t just take our word for it—get in touch with us today so we can illustrate the power of our deep ripper for sale.

MaxxRipper^®

These specifications are subject to change without prior notice.

MaxxRipper^®

MaxxRipper^® Brochure

Download

MaxxRipper^® Operating Manual
(3235T) (3245T) (3260T)

Download

It’s official – the heaviest speed disc on the market! – Since its launch in 2015, the Speedtiller Powerflex^® has enjoyed a solid reputation among tillage equipment buyers for its durability and quality of design. In response to burgeoning customer demand, we’ve launched our widest and heaviest model yet: a 15.5m-wide and 22.5 tonne Powerflex machine which (for some funny reason) inherited the name “Mammoth”.

Check out the 2 minute video below!

We had received a lot of feedback from customers wanting to work larger areas more quickly than they could using the 12.5m model. Farmers and contractors are wanting to work bigger and bigger areas, and time means money, so obviously they want to work as much country as possible in the least amount of time.

Being 3m wider, the Mammoth allows an operator to till paddocks more quickly with fewer laps – saving time and saving money.

What are the Features of the Mammoth?

The K-Line Ag Mammoth has a variety of advantages to help address current issues in many farming operations. Features include:

1. Wing down pressure
   • Superior weed control
2. Quick Adjust Lateral Disc Positioning
   • Max weed control
   • Full disturbance
   • No sub ridges
   • Disc wear compensation
3. Proven extreme duty disc arms & hubs
4. Extreme duty bearings on rollers
5. Roller shock protection
6. Highly engineered frame

Has it been tried and tested?

You bet it has! As with all K-Line Ag machinery, the Mammoth has been successfully run in several applications over the last 6 months. It passed with flying colours, so we’re super excited that it’s now officially on the market!

Maximise your yield potential!

Interested in maximising your yield potential? Get in touch with our sales team on 1800 194 131, to find out more about the Mammoth and how it can help your operation!

The team at K-Line Ag are pleased to announce the official launch of the ThunderRipper™! Featuring optional tyne spacing to suit your operation and soil type, the K-Line Ag ThunderRipper™ is a lighter, cost-effective ripper, built to shatter compacted soils and improve root penetration.

Watch the 2 minute video below!

What are the Features of the ThunderRipper™?

The K-Line Ag ThunderRipper™ has a variety of advantages to help address current issues in many farming operations. Features include:

What is the difference between the THUNDERRIPPER^™ and the MAXXRIPPER^®?

The ThunderRipper™ is a lighter and cheaper alternative to the K-Line Ag MaxxRipper^®. It requires significantly less horsepower due to its reduced weight and shallower ripping depth. Ideal for most commercial farming and grazing operations, the narrow transport width makes for faster road travel and easier accessibility on the farm. It also features a wider range of tyne options. Models range from 5-13 tyne, compared to the 7, 9 or 11 tyne MaxxRipper® models currently available.

Has it been tried and tested?

It sure has! As with all K-Line Ag machinery, the ThunderRipper™ has been successfully run in several applications over the last 6 months. It passed with flying colours, and so we’re super excited that it’s now officially on the market!

Maximise your yield potential!

Interested in maximising your yield potential? Get in touch with our sales team on 1800 194 131, to find out more about the ThunderRipper™ and how it can help your operation!

Mallee soils often form compacted layers that restrict crop growth

These layers are formed either naturally or through traffic and implements driving over sandy soils. The coarse sands pack together and stop crop roots exploring the soil for moisture and nutrients below these layers. Layers can be 100 to 500 mm deep. It is common to find crops on these soils struggling, yet there is ample moisture below the root layer.

Addressing a problem

Results from a 2017-18 National Landcare Program trial in sandy Mallee soils with proven compaction problems demonstrated that deep ripping improved yields.

Various deep ripping treatments with a range of machines were trialled on farms with sandy Mallee soils. The farmers themselves identified their sites as being low yielding, highly fragile land with significant management problems. Ripping was seen as a possible way of dealing with these difficult soils. And so it proved.

The K-Line MaxxRipper^® proves its worth

Of all the machines trialled, the MaxxRipper ^® consistently gave the best results for grain yield and quality over all sites. In drier years the results may be even better than these initial trials indicate. Economical? Definitely.

These results show that deep ripping to break up the hardpan allowed plant roots to access deep moisture and nutrients. And because the MaxxRipper^® is fitted with a depth-controlling roller that firms the topsoil after ripping, seeding can take place at an even depth. The potential for erosion is then minimised.

Not just any old ripper

Ripping alone may not work. Many trials have shown negative results when normal rippers are used to shatter the hardpan. This is because clods may rise to the surface and produce a very uneven seedbed. Poor germination and seed emergence are the result. But with its unique roller attachment, MaxxRipper^® overcomes this problem with its compacting roller smoothing the way for even crop emergence.

Check your soils for compaction

The strong recommendations from this trial are to check your sandy soils with a soil probe. If ripping is needed, best results were proven to be achieved using a K-Line Ag MaxxRipper^®. Set at the right depth, the machine gives an unmatched results, producing a soil surface that’s firm and trafficable, while reducing the potential for erosion and soil loss.

While it does occur naturally, soil acidity is also an unavoidable side-effect of agriculture, which increases the concentration of hydrogen ions in your soil. On the surface, it may seem like a trivial issue, but left unchecked it can cause lasting problems for your crops.

Careful management of soil acidity can save you a lot of money in the short- and medium-term. The trick is to find the right balance between lime application and tillage. But before we get to solutions, let’s take a deeper look at the problem…

Getting the balance right

For decades, soil acidity has had a big impact on crop production in Australia, especially on sandy soils. Low soil pH reduces nutrients for plant growth and increases aluminium content, which is toxic and can badly stunt root growth. Barley, Lucerne, Canola and Medic are particularly sensitive to soil acidity; as are most pulses, including lentils, chickpeas and fava beans.

Soil acidity builds up slowly over time, so it’s easy to think it’s not costing you much and that it’s only an issue in the topsoil, where it’s easily treated by applying lime on the surface. But the fact is, acidity can seep into the subsoil too. So how do we know when that’s happened? And how do we balance our urgent need to farm, with the pressing need to treat the acidity issue?

The acid test

Surface and subsurface acidification may show up as uneven crop and pasture growth, yellowing of crops, poor nodulation and stunted root growth — but these signs of surface and subsurface acidity aren’t easy to spot.

To be safe, you should monitor your pH levels with regular soil testing at least every five years. Samples should be taken from the same soil type and land use, with at least 20-30 from both the topsoil and the subsoil. When the soil pH (CaCl2) falls below 5.0, it’s time for a lime solution.

But lime will generally only seep into the subsoil when the topsoil pH is kept above 5.5, otherwise all the lime is used up neutralising the surface acidity. So a good solution is to also till deep into the subsoil, working the lime into it without waiting for seepage to occur.

The THUNDERRIPPER® with Hydraulic Tines by K-Line Ag is built to shatter compacted soils. With tines that reach deep into hard pans to break and lift them up, this heavy duty Ripper ameliorates the soil by ripping through hard pans. This increases yields through:

• greater root development and plant growth,
• improved nutrient update and moisture entry, and
• organic material incorporation

K-Line has a range of Rippers suitable for all farming types and soil conditions.

What drives the need for producers to incorporate deep ripping into their soil management processes? As in all things farming, it comes down to soil efficiency, plant growth and yield production.

Repeated pressure from farm equipment is the main cause of compaction, and its effects run deep. Wet soils, greater axle loads, and soils comprised of clay or silts are most at risk for compaction, because these factors produce ideal conditions for the soil particles to adhere to each other, creating hard pans.

Soil compaction creates a physical barrier between germinating seeds and their ideal root and shoot development. This development is required to promote adequate growth, collect available nutrients, and produce desired yields. Without friable (easily crumbled or pulverized, loose soils) soil matrices to allow growth, plants must expel more stored energy resources from the seed to achieve germination. These stored resources mostly consist of water-activated enzymes that were sequestered by the parent plant during seed-setting in prior growing seasons. Plants survive on these stored resources until they grow sufficiently to reach light sources and begin the photosynthetic process.

When a seed’s roots and shoots struggle through compacted soil during germination, they emerge from the ground weakened, stunted and nutrient deficient. As a result, they are ill-suited to long-term survival and yield potential, and some never make it at all. This accounts for the large spaces and withered plant remnants common in plantings on compacted soils. Having large swaths of paddock space with compacted soils decreases emergence and populations, impacting overall yield potential.There are many practices to help avoid compacted soils: tramline or controlled traffic farming implementations such as our TrackAttack, minimizing equipment operations on wet soils, using large diameter or flotation tyres, and implementing crop rotations that increase the presence of organic matter in the soils and provide varied rooting patterns. But sometimes compaction-inducing activities can’t be avoided, and so producers are forced to restore compacted areas.

One of the most popular methods for restoring compacted soils is through deep ripping. This mechanical intervention utilizes an implement like K-Line Ag’s MaxxRipper with long tynes that reach deeply into hard pans to break up and lift soils, therefore allowing room for plant development, nutrient and moisture entry, and organic materials accumulation. The expansion room provided by deep ripping supports plant growth, and bolsters yields. In a long-term study in WA on sandy soils, producers who used this method to address compaction reported yield increase of 15% in canola, 49% in barley, 11% in field peas, and over 70% in wheat^[1].

With the K-Line Ag MaxxRipper, a crumbler roller follows behind the tines to pick up the ripped sections of soil, which helps to break up clumps and increase the looseness of the soil. This adds even further benefit to the plant growth, giving more opportunity for an even crop and high yields.

Figure 2: Modelled growth of wheat roots in sandy soil based on trial data (Delroy & Bowden 1986, Schmidt et al. 1994, Tennant 1976) assuming non-limiting moisture ^[2]

Good soil management practices can help avoid compaction issues. However, utilising deep ripping techniques to break up hard pans or historic compaction provides a favourable boost to yields and a good return on investment.

Ask 1000 farmers a question about how to raise their crops, and you’ll probably get 1000 different answers. For some, “the way it’s always been done” is the answer; for others, it’s the latest study or newest method. For most, the answer lies somewhere in between.

While opinions vary on a number of ag-related topics, one common topic of discussion is tillage frequency and its implications for soil health. No-till systems have been steadily gaining ground across the world since the 1950s, shortly after Edward Faulkner’s “Plowman’s Folly” raised awareness of the harm of deep mouldboard ploughing on American prairie soils. Faulkner’s tenets have spread over the intervening years, but additional research, university studies, and machine innovations have tempered some of his original observations.

But no-till isn’t always the most beneficial, particularly in harder soil types or those that pack tightly, like clays and clay mixes. These soils can develop hard pans at the 100mm to 150mm range, creating a host of problems^[1]. The pans keep water from penetrating more deeply into the soil, where it can nourish developing root systems and be locked away for future use during dry periods. Pooling water on the top few inches of soil causes other problems as well, like acidification of soils from accumulated fertilizers and additives. Some of these additives, like lime, have limited wicking penetration abilities, and without tillage, can only penetrate 15-20mm/year their own and must be constantly re-applied to provide benefit to the crop.

To address these issues while causing the least possible disturbance to soils, farmers have turned to minimally-invasive deep ripping with specialty tools like the K-Line MaxxRipper^®, strategically planning their tillage every 4 or 5 years in an otherwise no-till system. Deep rippers provide 200mm + deep soil disruption without sacrificing the residues and humus richness a minimal-till or no-till approach develops^[2].

Benefits of deep ripping include:

There are some additional short-term considerations when contemplating a strategic deep ripping till of a no-till system, particularly in regards to weather forecasting and rain expectations. However, managing these considerations are a small thing compared to the potential benefits a deep ripper can provide with your no-till subsoils.

The K-Line Ag MaxxRipper^® is coming into its own, as customers are gathering indisputable evidence of the benefits of strategic deep ripping. Although a lot of areas haven’t shown the results expected due to poor weather conditions, results like the MaxxRipper trials below can’t be argued with!

MaxxRipper^® Trials: Difference Between Deep Ripping & Not!

Pictured here are the results of farm contractor Tim Davies’ canola crops in Temora NSW. Tim conducted a test on these two paddocks side by side, deep ripping one and leaving the other. The paddock in the foreground of this photo was ripped, and the other side of the fence (the side showing more flower) was left un-ripped.

In the image below, the plant on the left was from the un-ripped paddock. Comparatively, the plant in the middle is from the paddock he had ripped. The non-ripped canola was sown 8 days earlier, illustrating the growth spurt that deep ripping affords.

Ripped vs Un-Ripped

Notice the horizontal roots of the smaller plant on the left, which was taken from the un-ripped paddock. J-rooting is caused when plant roots come in contact with hard pans which they struggle to break through, which means they can’t access the nutrients further down in the soil profile.

Read More on this topic: SOIL COMPACTION & DEEP RIPPING

Find out more on the K-Line Ag MaxxRipper here, or Contact Us to find out how strategic deep ripping can benefit your farming operation!

More MaxxRipper Trials & Case Studies

Recent Farms and Farm Machinery case study on David McMillan’s application of K-Line Ag products to address dry, compacted soil on his property at Young, NSW… click HERE for full story!

Results of deep ripping in Sunflower Cropping in Parkes NSW: ‘Flower Power – MaxxRipper Breaks New Ground in Sunflower Crop!’

There is currently a 9-Tine K-LINE AG MAXXRIPPER^® available in the Riverina district. Contact Tim Davies on 0409 775 351 for hire information and contact details.

The ThunderRipper^® by K-Line Ag is a heavy-duty yet compact Ripper designed to shatter compacted soils and improve root penetration. With tines that reach a depth of approximately 450-500mm, the ThunderRipper^® enhances plant development, nutrient and moisture entry, and the accumulation of organic materials in the soil.

The K-Line Ag ThunderRipper^® has a variety of advantages to help address current issues in many farming operations. Features include:

ThunderRipper^®

These specifications are subject to change without prior notice.

ThunderRipper^®

ThunderRipper^® Brochure

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ThunderRipper^® Operating Manual
3400P Series

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STAG Machinery Group, with locations in Toowoomba and Dalby, organised the demonstration day to help local farmers make informed decisions about soil preparation for the coming months. Branch manager Michael O’Hara emphasised the renewed importance of tillage equipment in light of recent seasonal conditions and expressed their eagerness to demonstrate the capabilities and performance of K-Line Ag products to their customers.

K-Line Ag, an Australian-based CNH Industrial company celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, has built a reputation for manufacturing high-performance tillage equipment. Their products, which include compact discs, rippers, and trash-cutters, are produced at their Cowra, NSW facility and sold both nationally and internationally. At the event, K-Line Ag displayed their TrackAttack^®, MaxxRipper^® and Speedtiller^® Powerflex models, demonstrating their prowess in the field.

In a powerful partnership, K-Line Ag’s innovative tillage equipment was showcased in conjunction with Case IH tractors, including the 310 Magnum, 400 Magnum and 500 Steiger models. The collaboration demonstrated the seamless integration of K-Line’s machinery with the powerful and reliable tractors from Case IH, highlighting the potential of these products to significantly enhance the operations of local farmers.

The demonstration day took place at a property on Yarranlea Road, off the Gore Highway, and lasted several informative hours from 10am to 2pm. Throughout the event, attendees were able to get up close and personal with the cutting-edge machinery and engage with experts from K-Line Ag, Case IH and STAG Machinery Group. The interactive nature of the day allowed farmers to gain valuable insights into the suitability and performance of the equipment for their specific needs.

As the day concluded, it was evident that the tillage equipment demonstration was a resounding success. Attendees left the event with a deeper understanding of the advancements in tillage technology and the benefits they could bring to their agricultural operations. The collaboration between K-Line Ag, Case IH and STAG Machinery Group resulted in an educational and engaging day for all involved, leaving local farmers eager to put their newfound knowledge to use in the field.

The Yarranlea demonstration day was a triumph for K-Line Ag, Case IH and STAG Machinery Group, solidifying their status as leaders in the agricultural machinery industry. The event not only showcased the latest in tillage technology but also strengthened the relationship between these companies and the local farming community, setting the stage for continued innovation and collaboration in the future.

If you were unable to attend the demonstration day or would like to arrange a personal demo of the advanced tillage equipment, we encourage you to reach out to K-Line Ag directly or contact your nearest K-Line Ag dealer. This is a unique opportunity to experience the benefits of their cutting-edge machinery firsthand and make informed decisions for your agricultural operations. Don't miss out on the chance to revolutionise your farming practices with K-Line Ag and their exceptional range of tillage equipment.