Soil is the lifeblood of crop farmers. They spend countless hours monitoring it, applying the nutrients it needs to perform its best, building it up by increasing its organic matter, and decreasing its susceptibility to environmental threats like erosion.

One soil conservation practice that has risen in popularity with the advent of satellite-guided farming, precision agricultural practices, and auto-steer capabilities on tractors and implements is tramline or controlled traffic farming (CTF). With a CTF plan, farmers use mechanical means to design specific, consistently-utilised permanent wheel tracks that work for all tractors, harvesters, and implements through uniform wheel spacings and long-run rows across paddocks. These wheel tracks bear the weight of tractors and implements in the field, limiting soil compaction to a smaller percentage of the paddock, reducing the need for whole-field deep cultivation to combat compaction issues, and minimising erosion.

While not a new concept – the first idea of controlled traffic farming was explored in the 1850s with steam-powered machinery^[1] – CTF has expanded greatly since the mid-70s, gaining new traction in the early 2000s as soil conservation practices became more mainstream. Popularity started in Europe, has spread throughout Australia, and is catching the interest of flatland farmers in the Great Plains and Midwestern regions of the United States. Australian research on CTF techniques includes over two decades of study.^[2] Main benefits recorded over that time include:

Changes to farm practices to incorporate CTF involve some challenges, with the biggest hurdles being related to planning and implementation.^[3] Getting CTF to work with existing farm systems and practices, from physical barriers like terraces or contours to rotation programs, can be difficult. Challenges can include:

• Difficulty controlling erosion on slopes or in grazed areas
• Technical difficulties in controlling weeds in tramline/track areas
• Rutting in tramlines
• Standardisation/matching of wheel spacings across equipment types

Mechanical management of the tramlines and the equipment that utilises them is the biggest concern for most producers, and requires the most time, resources, and effort. Farm machinery in Australia comes in a variety of wheel set widths, from 9m on smaller harvesters and seeders to 36m on large boom sprayers. Standardising a producer’s entire line of equipment for CTF can be costly and time-consuming, particularly if the producer wants a quick changeover as opposed to a more gradual phase out and replace approach.

Similarly, managing the tramlines themselves can difficult. Tramlines left uncultivated can grow weeds that can spread into the main paddock crop. Similarly, the tramlines’ heavy use can wear ruts into the soil, sequestering moisture in their grooves or serving as an erosion-inducing sluice in wet weather.

K-Line Ag’s Trackattack^® implement is designed to combat common tramline issues. With combined disc-roller implements dual-mounted in each wheel track, the Track Attack cuts through wheel tracks while loosening and redistributing soil for a smoother, flatter finish. This mechanical disruption eliminates weeds and ruts, improving the track and protecting paddocks from unwanted weeds or erosion. Available in two configurations, the Track Attack can renovate 2m or 3m tracks on a 3m centre width, or 2m, 3, or 4m tracks on a 4m centre width.

K-Line Ag’s Trackattack^® has made the challenges of implementing CTF systems easier and more efficient for producers everywhere.

Crop producers’ focus is always yield. Better varieties for better yield. Better nutrient management for better yield. Better soil management for better yield. Better weed control for better yield… you get the picture. Managing these variables is a full-time job for farmers, and there is never enough time to do everything possible to improve yields.

Having an implement that can provide both better soil management and better weed control is a definite value-add for farmers, and that is exactly what the K-Line Ag Speedtiller^®

K-Line Ag’s Speedtiller^® was designed and built in Australia to combat the unique conditions of Australian soils and to address the needs of the Australian farmer. However, this farmer-centric design mentality has translated very well overseas too, and the company now produces implements for the US, Canadian and European markets.

Incorporating Residues for Higher Yields

The success of the Speedtiller^® comes from its ability to improve soil humus levels, reduce erosion, and combat chemical resistant weeds in a single pass utilizing a single implement. Farmers have long understood that chopping plant residues (stems, stalks, roots, etc) left in the paddock post-harvest and then incorporating them into the soil provides important soil benefits. With incorporated residues, the organic matter percentage within the soil profile increases. This brings with it a better environment for beneficial soil microbes, enhanced ability for soils to absorb and retain water, and increased bioavailability of micronutrients from residues as they decompose and re-enter the soil as compost.

The inclusion of residues in the soil also guards against erosion. It creates pathways for surface water to penetrate more deeply into the soil profile, and by acting as a sponge, absorbs water into the residue materials for soil use during drier periods. Because residue-incorporated soils have a more varied surface texture, they resist the effects of surface water and wind erosion. This supports soil component retention and fosters long-term soil health.

The Speedtiller^® accomplishes residue incorporation by utilizing a two-part system – first chopping the residues into manageable pieces and shifting the dirt with an offset disc, and then mixing the dirt and residues together into a finished paddock surface, leaving the seedbed ready for planting. This two-step approach provides the residue incorporation farmers need to reap the benefits of better crop health and higher yields.

Save Time, Fuel & Labour!

The Speedtiller’s dual purpose discing and finishing capabilities have added benefits as well. Producers can use this single implement to do the work of two or even three other implements. The savings in soil compaction, operator time, and fuel expenditures make a sizeable impact on production and operational costs.

Combatting Chemical Resistance

The Speedtiller^® also plays an important role in weed control for farmers by providing a mechanical means of weed disruption and diminishing the possibility of promoting chemical resistance in their local weed populations. Unlike chemical applications of herbicides, mechanical processes like tillage implements do not mutate the molecular structure of the weeds, which causes chemical-resistance. Instead, mechanical processes disrupt the weeds’ growing cycle. This dehydrates or stunts the weeds, while allowing production crops time to overcome and eventually kill competitive weeds.

The most versatile tillage tool on the market!

Because it’s designed with an appreciation for the variability of Australian soils and cropping types, the Speedtiller^® is customisable for applications from vineyard cultivation to oilseed and cereal production. Trailing and 3-point linkage versions are available. Finishing rollers can be selected based on soil type: hollow crumbling rollers for loamier soils and spring rollers for stickier, clay-type soils. These unique configurations allow producers to utilize the correct mechanical design to realize the greatest benefits in residue and soil management for increased yields.

Non-wetting or hydrophobic soils are an increasing issue throughout districts in WA and SA, posing a conundrum for farmers. To grow crops, simple things are needed: a matrix, some moisture, sunlight. But what to do when the seemingly simple pieces of the farming equation repel one another? It’s a question that has “absorbed” both farmers and scientists for nearly 100 years.

Traditional methods for combating non-wetting soils in Western Australia and South Australia have been mechanical in nature. These efforts were led by the mouldboard plough, which provides the deep penetration needed to find and incorporate more clay-based soils into the non-wetting profile. However, utilising a mouldboard plough comes with distinct disadvantages, particularly with the susceptibility of fine sandy soils to wind erosion and the increased tendency to lose surface moisture due to incomplete soil mixing and decreased organic matter integration.

Recent Implement Developments

More recent implement developments have attempted to address the shortcomings of mouldboard ploughing as a mechanical solution for non-wetting soils. Rotary spaders have assisted with the issue of soil mixing, but have been less successful at addressing the other concerns with erosion controls and residue incorporation. Without solving these companion issues, farmers have found their soils to be less hydrophobic post-spading, but more moveable and less rich, due to the absence of residues within the matrix.

Following spaders with additional passes utilising other tillage pieces has some benefit, but creates an entirely new set of challenges. Additional passages mean longer seedbed preparation times, decreased productivity, and increased instances of compaction. This last is of particular concern, as recently worked soils are disturbed more deeply into the subsoil profile and thus more susceptible to static and vibratory compaction at deeper levels.

New Advancements

New advancements in tillage technology have led to multi-function tillage implements that can help farmers solve both the primary non-wetting soils complaint and the secondary concerns about residues, erosion and compaction. Implements like the K-Line Ag Speedtiller® perform multiple mechanical processes on the soil in a single pass, eliminating the concern of secondary-pass subsoil compaction. An initial row of mounted lateral discs dig deeply into the soil, pulling more clay-based soils to the top for integration. Then finishing discs and roller chop and incorporate residues, leaving a smooth finish. This provides both a prepped seedbed and a well-integrated soil stratum of hydrophobic and clay soils with interspersed organic residues. When required working depths are 6-7”, this combined soil end product addresses both the primary and secondary issues of non-wetting soil remedies.

Non-wetting soils are a matter of fact, and a force of nature. But with the mechanical implements obtainable in the agricultural market today, there are remedies available that address the issue without creating new issues.

Speedtiller^® Research in Non-Wetting Soils

This diagram shows results of research with the K-Line Ag Speedtiller® in non-wetting sand in Western Australia. This image shows a crop after Speedtiller^® usage, yielding 3 tonnes/ha. Comparatively, on the right, with no Speedtiller^® pass, the yield was half. Results may vary depending on seasonal conditions.

Tackling crop stubble is a challenge for most farming systems. Depending on the stubble type, surface residue can be heavy, forming a barrier that’s difficult for new seeding drills to penetrate, and for new crops to sprout through during germination. Conversely, complete removal of surface stubble leaves soils exposed and susceptible to erosion, as well as less fertile due to the absence of valuable organic matter and micronutrients.

Finding a balance between leaving too heavy a stubble and complete stubble removal is a challenge for many farmers. However, dealing effectively with leftover crop residue provides ample benefit to the soil, subsequent crops, and crop yields.

Most farmers trying to find a trash management middle ground turn to various farm implements to produce the seedbed suitable for their cropping needs. As a premier farm equipment manufacturer for Australian farmers, K-Line Ag designs and builds implements in Australia suitable for the toughest soil conditions. All implements are constructed with performance, durability, and ease of use at the forefront, making K-Line Ag equipment a top choice for many producers. For trash management and seedbed preparation, K-Line Ag coulters and harrows are exceptional tools.

For trash and stubble cutting and seeding through tough surface crusts, an in-frame coulter wheel setup mounted ahead of a seed drill is an effective, efficient option. Wavy, fluted, or plain coulter wheels slice through trash, providing a direct path to the soil for seeding and increasing their chances of viable germination. This coulter path is also helpful in channelling moisture to seeds and roots, which can provide the boost needed to give sown crops the growing advantage over weeds and pioneer seeds from previous crop rotations.

In-frame coulters are constructed of rolled hollow steel to reduce the weight on seeder frames and drawbars while maintaining the unit’s strength. Coulter kits rely on adjustable springs to customise the penetration level to the type of stubble and the soil placement needs of the seeding crop.

A popular finishing option for high-trash paddocks is a rotary harrow. Varying styles of rotary harrows are available for various cropping systems, soil types, and farming operations, but the main function of a harrow is to combat surface trash and residues and increase seed-to-soil contact. By concentrating on the top layer of stubble, rotary harrows provide the right level of soil disturbance needed for differing seed types and soil conditions.

Spring tine harrows, with their scraping movement, are better suited for lighter stubble and soil, and seed types that require less soil disturbance. Standard rotary harrows, with their rotating gangs of metal tines in a diagonal configuration, penetrate more deeply into stubble and provide greater soil disturbance. These rotary harrows are especially popular as a trailing implement for ploughs, as they further disperse stubble while simultaneously levelling seedbeds for planting.

The challenge of dealing with crop stubble is continual, with each growing season and crop rotation providing another unique puzzle for farmers to solve. But as with most puzzles, the right tools can make all the difference. K-Line Ag implements, with their distinctive mix of flexibility, durability and performance, give farmers an advantage when dealing with their crop stubble challenges