IT was called The Great Rip-Off.
But information from last week's Mullewa field day was anything but, which is why this week's column is dedicated to deep ripping information.
Eight deep rippers were on show, with each taken for a spin, as owners and company representatives providing details of each machine.
Mandatory soils pits also provided a worm's eye view of ripped and unripped soil.
Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA) development officers Wayne Parker, Bindi Isbister and Glen Reithmuller also weighed in providing specific comments on the practice of deep ripping at a highly anticipated event organised by local farmers Rod and Andrew Messina.
Torque estimated about 150 farmers turned up, to what essentially was an information-sharing day, on a practice first introduced to the Eradu sandplain in the late 1960s.
By the mid-1980s, the "magic" depth to gain a significant crop yield response - particularly wheat and barley - from deep ripping, was 275 millimetres (11in).
Today most farmers are pushing between the 400mm (16in) and 600mm (24in) mark with a few going even deeper to 900mm (36in) - underlying a take-home message from the day, of 'whatever floats your boat'(Torque can still mix it with the youngies).
There are sign posts, but in the end it's an individual choice of what machine best suits their soil types and operation, whether it's continuous cropping or a crop-stock mix.
The presentations and format was excellent and a Torque gong goes to Rod and Andrew, not only for their enthusiasm to hold such an event, but also for their openness to share information with their peers - good and bad.
And almost lurking in the shadows of the big crowd was retired DAFWA researcher Dr Paul Blackwell, who in the end was given an opportunity to plug the WA Controlled Traffic Farming Association (WACTFA) Facebook group.
Torque assumes you search for WACTFA, wait to be accepted and you're ready to enjoy another journey in the wonderful world of agriculture.
And there's no rip-off to join.
KNOW WHAT YOU RIP
BINDI had some sound advice if you're considering ripping.
It doesn't start in a dealer's yard or at a field day looking at machines.
A backhoe or a front-end loader would be handy to dig soil pits in your paddocks where you're suspicious nature will probably hit the jackpot of soil constraints.
"Have a look at soils," Bindi said.
"And analyse the constraints because invariably there's more than one.
"So you could end up deciding to mouldboard, deep rip or spade, or use a combination.
"If you decide to rip, you need to consider the type of tine, row spacing, ripper width and rollers."
Farmers were given a very informative "ag-note" which detailed various practices in various soil types and preferred implements to use, along with estimated costs.
It is worth chasing up a DAFWA office for a copy.
HEAVY LOADS
AN area that is given little attention until there's a problem is stress loads.
And there's plenty of stress-loading going on when you're deep ripping.
According to Glen, who is a research engineer, the life of a bearing is directly proportional to the load (it is bearing).
"So you can double the load on a bearing and reduce its life by 10 times," Glen said.
He repeated the line three times for emphasis.
The point, of course, was related to over-loading tractors and stressing transmissions.
Glen also urged farmers to pay for a transmission oil test or test themselves and seek a diagnosis.
"If you have any properties in the oil such as chromium or copper, it's an early indication of something serious with your tractor," he said.
Oils 'ain't oils.
MORE TO TAKE HOME
IT might increase productivity at harvest, but having a big chaser bin galloping across paddocks could be causing you more problems than you want.
According to Paul, the effects of higher axle loads of more than 10 tonnes cause the worst subsoil compaction and tracks do not fix the problem at depth.
In many cases deep ripping was required to break the hardpans - also caused by claying - and in one case, where the hardpan hit 800mm (32in), a bulldozer was required.
Paul also cites Wheatbelt trials where claying made hardpans stronger.
Google "pathways to more grain farming profit by CTF in WA" for more information.
Paul also says that unfortunately, despite many commercial claims, reducing tyre inflation pressure is not enough compensation for increased wheel or track loads.
Measurements and modelling of soil stresses from agricultural vehicles show that increasing the load makes the subsoil experience increasing stress and to greater depth, while the topsoil stress increase is less if the tyre inflation rate is unchanged.
Such soil stress models also reveal that if surface pressure is reduced, the stresses at the surface decline, but in the subsoil the stresses can remain high.
No wonder deep ripping is getting deeper.
INCLUSION PLATES
WAYNE and Bindi also had data on topsoil slotting with inclusion plates.
Interesting snippets included:
* The practice on yellow sand "seems to slow yield decline of deep ripping in controlled traffic"
* Compaction of soil to the sides of the plates has been found in the yellow sands at Binnu and Moora but not in white sand over gravel at Munglinup.
* Sodic grey or red clays at Ongerup and Pithara have improved drainage and yield in the wet 2016 season.
* Saline Morel clay soils at Beacon have improved infiltration, salt flushing and yield in 2016.
And Nigel Moffat, Walkaway and Tenindewa, offered possible solutions to inclusion plate problems:
* If the deep ripper becomes too hard to pull: May be minimised by streamlining the front of the plate.
* Moist yellow sand is compacted each side of the plates: May be minimised by deep ripping dry; fitting plates to an in-line shallower tine to help mix soil around the outside of the plates on the rear tine; shortening the plates to a minimum length (reduces the duration of compaction) or fitting 'fins' to the back of the plates to break up compaction.
* Stubble blocks in plates and prevents topsoil moving down: May be minimised by removing the rear bolt and adding front plates or an internal plate close to the tine as done by Mic Fels, Wittenoom Hills (see post on WACTFA Facebook page).
* Too much ridging formed by the plates, especially in wetter or heavier soil: May be minimised by heavy-forming rollers with tube spirals fitted or angled bars on pressurised cage rollers.