YOU would think that sandy gravel over clay would produce some handy crops.
But if it's non-wetting it becomes very problematic.
It's part of the reason why Tambellup farmer Rhys Brown re-assessed a 3500 hectare cropping program two years ago.
Other problems were hardpans and water-logged country.
His solution was to buy two machines from Czech-based company Bednar, represented in Australia by Morawa farmer Grant Borgward.
The first was a Swifter Disc and the second was a Terraland TO chisel plough.
Over the past two years he has used the machines over about 100 hectares with initial trial testing.
His plan is to eventually work the whole farm.
"I'm pretty happy with the way it is going and I am more confident now I can lift crop yields," Mr Brown said.
The SwifterDisc, has a working width of 12.4 metres and is a three row unit with leading counter-facing discs on the front two rows followed by a V-ring roller.
Large central tyres work in conjunction with dual wheels on each wing to provide flotation across the front of the bar while the discs are aggressive A-type design with more cutting edges than a scallop or plain disc, meaning trash residue is chopped to a small size.
"That's what I wanted to get, good straw incorporation while getting better chemical contact with weeds, along with leaving a smooth finish for seeding," Mr Brown said.
"But the first priority was for the Terraland to alleviate non-wetting topsoils and it has certainly done the job when you compare results to unworked paddocks.
"We've also used the Terraland over a lot of water-logged country and it has made a huge difference breaking hardpans and getting moisture in at depth allowing access to plant roots.
"Yields are definitely improving.
"The other benefit of the Terraland is its ability to mix in lime at depth to accelerate amelioration of acid soils and we've also put clay blades on the back row of the bar to work the soil and bring up clay
"So I'm getting a good rip which achieves a number of things and theoretically in future years we've built a bigger bucket in our paddocks."
Mr Brown says he works the Terraland to a depth of 500 millimetres with hydraulic pressure running between 1000 and 1200psi.
"When you use the Terraland at depth you've got to know what's under there, particularly identifying sour dirt which you don't want to bring up."
According to Mr Borgward, the Terraland represents a one-pass solution to soil renovation and amelioration in light sandy soils and a giant ripper in medium to heavy country.
"With this machine you can rip and incorporate like a spader," Mr Borgward said.
"So in effect you can resolve issues such as non-wetting and low topsoil pH while working on the deeper soil profile.
"Trials in WA have shown significant elevation of soil pH within one year because of the incorporation effect of the Terraland.
"And visually, crops certainly look better compared with controls."
The Terraland TO model comprises two rows of heavy duty tynes with carbide and hard-faced chisel points fitted below a wing assembly that effectively mixes soil.
A following tandem spiky roller completes the incorporation while levelling.
It is designed for intensive tillage at depths of up to 600 millimetres on a six metre working width, while mixing to a depth of 350mm.
The central frame is formed by four-girders and the frames of working sections are made of 150 x 150mm profile for higher resistance.
Having a rear drawbar means the Bednar Cutterpack or Presspack trailed packers can be connected to the machine to finish off the job.
- More information: Grant Borgward 0428 816 701.