Soil compaction and using a Hardpan Locator

Locating the locations where the hardpan is less than 5 inches beneath the surface will determine where land gets ripped.

[@juanpablomorales5904]

Dear Sir, thank you so very much for thr detailed explanation. Just got into ranching and didn’t know how to donthe ripping to change my pasture. May God bless your, greetings from Guatemala and may bless our countries.

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Thank you very much for allowing me to know something I put out here on KZbin has helped another person. May God bless you greatly.

[@farmark457]

Every field is different and I am sure you will see an improvement this crop season. I deep chiseled a wet field I rented and it certainly improved the drainage substantially. Thanks for the video.

[@billwhitman1529]

Turnips and radishes will really open up the ground and give you some organic matter to work with. You are the best judge of your ground and what works. I'm with Jeff on exploring different shovel tips that will disrupt the pan.

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Bill Whitman - after exploring different shovel tips and deciding how to proceed I'll then explore a source of revenue to make the expenditure. the ripper belongs to my cousin and it is what it is. right now and since the last of November the ground here has been to wet to work and to wet for me to get the lime spreader out on the land. my 20 foot long test runs were more about satisfying my curiosity concerning the ripper than ripping land. I got not a clue where Jeff got the idea I was going to rip wet land. while examining options for the enhancement of the implement is something I need to invest in, working wet land is not something I need to explore. thanks for commenting Bill.

[@gleanerk]

Don’t worry you ain’t hurt nothing here ! If you worked it wet and it rains we ok but if you worked it wet and no more rain ,we’ve a great place to park cars . Got big rain coming so we’re covered. Thanks for sharing. Your cousin Scott. You looked mighty happy yesterday! Let’s enjoy it till we drop !

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Scott's Small farming and Things . - blessed and covered by the grace of God we are cousin. I'm sure of it. just because my eyes are not seeing what I want means nothing. joint with me in "calling those things which be not as though they were. " yep, yesterday 4000 running great and no water coming out of the radiator. I vote resoundingly for "Let’s enjoy it till we drop". thanks for the kind supporting words and all of your help on this farming adventure.

[@FarmallFanatic]

One year I planted torpedo radishes to break up the hardpan, them stupid things grew about 2' down. Worked good and produced green manure.

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Farmall Fanatic - torpedo radishes have a really deep root and according to my reading can exert 240 pounds of force against the hard pan breaking through to reach depths of the 2 foot you mentioned. I'm still trying to figure out how to double crop them because I got to have the income from the soybeans to report so I can stay on this land. government restrictions, I have to work with. can they be planted in December and will they do their beneficial work by mid May in my climate? if I don't meet the farm income requirements each year I'm finished done ruined and will lose this land. soybeans is the cash crop that has always for 17 years met the requirement. dilemma.

[@FarmallFanatic]

Soybean Farmer Do a little test strip?

[@robertweekley5926]

@@SoybeanFarmer3300 - Solar Farm + Soybeans? Double Cash Crop, is that an available option?

[@Farmall450]

Glad to see you got it broke out. That's a neat tool you made. That radish idea is pretty good

[@WorldsOkayestFarmer]

You can get a lot of valuable info from a simple tool like the one you made.

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Worlds Okayest Farmer - and no batteries required LOL thanks for watching and commenting. it was good to see your truck crank. :)

[@grandpamike5336]

looks like what you have is the old subsoiler that we used before planting tobacco. If you are breaking land (turning plows) before planting, I'm thinking that is good enough for soy beans. The Amish never worried about the hard pan and they produced some beautiful crops.

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Grand Pa Mike - if I got my facts right this subsoiler did years with a two row bedder on a tool bar behind it bringing up tobacco rows. I'll have to ask cousin if my memory serves me correctly. the last tobacco on this farm was back in the year 2000. I want to break the hardpan to make beans more drought tolerant. two good droughts now in my farming years have shown me the difference between when water can come up from beneath and when it can't. thanks for watching and commenting.

[@clownadiannews8461]

Alternating cover crops of rye in the spring and tillage (Daikon) radish in the fall will help you out. The extensive root system of the rye will break up the surface clay, add humus, and the tap root of the tillage radish in the fall will break through any hard pan within approximately 30 days of growth. Tillage radish will also help boost the yield of your next crop: Corn yields are up 11%, Soybean yields are up 10%, Winter wheat yields are up from 5 to 12 bushels per acre in Canada. Take Care

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Thank you very much for sharing this information with me. My cousin went out and got the equipment so he is able to plant corn here on the farm now the amounts of Silage in organic matter has helped tremendously with the bean yields. Thanks for watching. 🙂☕

[@TimmyWade-ss8yc]

You can use the ripper for erosion control never never NEVER go up&down slopes go around the contour from top to bottom 1 pass every 15 ft will stop runoff try it if u have a hill field

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Timmy I know exactly what you are talking about and thank you for being here talking about it. Thanks my friend. 🙂🙏🙂

[@AndersonCattleCo]

Nice compaction tester, all the big boys use rippers up my way.

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

AndersonCattleCo. - I'm going to be doing some ripping this year. thanks for watching and commenting.

[@jankotze1959]

Fantastic video, thumbs up Soybean Farmer very informative video

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Jan Kotze - thanks Jan

[@tedc3895]

Rip clay and put in alfalfa. then. Moldboard plow the alfalfa under cutting an inch of the clay. In a dry year the alfalfa will go down into the clay. It goes deep with roots. If you grow hay just leave that area in alfalfa couple of years.

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Ted C - sounds like a plan, thanks.

[@danvanhoose6783]

Yep,that soil looks worn out,it needs a few years of cover crops and a good rotation system.lots of manure and deep rooted green manure crops.big loads of manure spread.fertilizer alone won't do it.

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Dan Van Hoose - thanks for your comment and for watching.

[@familyfarmertn8931]

I like the compaction tool. I was made a believer in the subsoiling last year. I done about half my corn ground. Had less wet spots even with all the rain. Take care and have fun

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

familyfarmer TN - there is a field on the farm we call the Allen field. first year, 18 years ago, I put beans on it the yield was 80 bushels. lots of fertilizer left in the land from the tobacco years. through the years with no fertilizer applied the yield went down until last year. cousin got in that field with this ripper behind his little tractor and managed to rip about 8 inches deep then we moldboard plowed it flipping the land over. that field had not been broke like that in over 25 years. with no fertilizer applied the yield jumped up to 65 bushels. our theory is we brought some deep residual fertilizer back up and the soybeans found it. I do need to let things dry out before I go full throttle ripping land but when is that going to happen. we been wet since the end of November. thanks for watching and commenting.

[@jeremyblalack]

We run a subsoiler when needed in wet fields to help with drainage. We would have standing water before running the subsoiler through it so I would think that you're helping to dry your fields and by the we, never get rid of that old subsoiler ! Most of the new ones are junk..

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Jeremy Blalack - I've put my chisel plow behind my Ford 4000 and run fast as a shallow depth to air out wet land before. worked pretty good but I did not have standing water, just wet dirt. the subsoiler belongs to my cousin and I think I'll tell him if he ever decides to sell it to keep me in mind. I bought his plow last year. thanks for watching and commenting.

[@henryofskalitz2228]

using the chisel plow and then a moldboard plow will really loosen it up

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Yes I sure will. thanks for watching. I hope you hang around and watch some more.

[@henryofskalitz2228]

@@SoybeanFarmer3300 remember though do not moldboard all the time. You only have to do it once every 2-4 years and you can just disc it in-between those years.

[@jeremyhussey4645]

Hey Soybean. I understood a ripper was best used in dryer conditions. Supposed to help shatter the soil pan rather than slice through it. Think about discing a wet field vs a dry one. I m not a farmer by any means just a wannabe.

[@williamdavidson9009]

My daughter recently bought soybean land in the Eastern Shore of VA. She is planning on growing vegetables and fruit. Her soil has the same texture down at least 5 ft. There is no organic matter at all in the soil. Her strategy is to plant a cover crop and till it in to get some organic matter into the soil. That should help absorb water and release it slowly in dry times.

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

willian davidson - back in 2016 I was unable to get these beans sprayed and lost them to the weeds. to stop the weeds from going to seed I decided to mow then disc the green beans into the soil as an organic manure. it worked GREAT for putting high nitrogen content matter back into the soil and I saw the results in a wheat crop that followed. so I'd suggest she plant soybean and mow them as green plants then disc them back into the soil. here is a link to the video of me mowing them in. thanks for commenting here. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3fVpqR9hdmki80

[@williamdavidson9009]

She was thinking of clover but I will pass your suggestion along to her. Thanks

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

willian davidson - she is thinking smart. clover is a good source for fixing nitrogen into the soil but not as much organic matter is going to be produced. I don't know if clover seed is going to be cheaper. I wish her the best.

[@williamdavidson9009]

She is pretty sharp and does a lot of research. And I am very proud of her she graduated from Cornell in 2012 with a double major and the highest GPA of anyone in either department.

[@mrbill4187]

It never seems to get dry enough to shatter the hardpan the full width and if it does ya can't pull it. I think your right to cut slots for water infiltration and a root zone that hopefully the roots can find, that's what they call zone building. Your not hurting a thing, I prefer the zones to full width shatter because you still got some soil structure you can drive on without sinking to China.

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

mr Bill - thank you very much for your input here. this is going to be my first year doing any deep ripping and the creating of soft spots is on my mind. thanks for watching.

[@farmingforfunandprofit940]

We planted wheat behind cotton one year and it was wet when we combined the wheat.... we had to cut the wheat cross ways the way the cotton was planted...Because the combine kept sinking in the ripper furrows Bogging down something to think about....

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

David Goethe xxx - exactly my concern. thanks friend.

[@howardyounger5456]

to my understanding soil compaction is bad for a few reasons.one you missed on was as the roots of the plants go down they hit the hard pan they change the angle they are going down. that is stressful to the plant. i dont know if the plow made the hard pans but i know discing is not good. when the gov farm programs in right around 1980, my dad went to working the ground with a field cultivater on dry land almost 100%. the yield went up about 8%. then he went to one heavy rip on his heavier ground. that ripper looks like a nice machine. always understood that the speed needs to be a little faster also. it is supose to help break the ground up between the ripper point. realy liked the video great subject.

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Howard Younger - this ripper belongs to my cousin and it is all new to me. I have in the past run my chisel plow as deep as it will go breaking some of the shallow hardpan and seeing great results in the beans that year. I need some dry ground to test and get the hang of running this tool. running wet ground is a big huge mistake. the 20 foot long rips were the result of me giving into temptation and I'm glad I was able to stop myself from doing anymore than the small amount I did. with the chisel I learned speed is a key factor to breaking deep but it is hard on my 98hp 4020. one subscriber suggested I hire a large tractor to rip deep the entire farm and I think this is not such a bad idea. the little bit of deep plowing I did last year was the first this land has seen in over 25 years and I saw the benefit in those areas. thank you very much for your kind supporting words in your comment.

[@howardyounger5456]

i beleave strongly in deep ripping. on ground that needs it. no till is great on some ground though. the soil type like you said makes a lot of diferance on how it needs to be farmed. i went away from plowing because the fuel used. i used a single shank ripper on some ground that was packed real hard. it still showes after 7 years. but only were the shanks went. i even had a tool on the bottom that should have fract the soil. i went to slow though.the lines still show up.

[@chuckstevenson2929]

Thanks for the video SF. Have you considered getting a laser from HF and crown your fields?

[@michiganfarming1955]

thats a nice ripper you got. id like to get one soon. like jeff said you need dry ground and winged point that will shatter the hard pan. you can get them on shoup i can send a link if youd like.

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Michigan Farming - ripper belongs to cousin. send link so I can look at these winged points. I still can't figure out how Jeff got the idea I was going to run wet ground. the 20 foot test run was just to satisfy my curiosity about this new to me implement. this video was more about locating the hardpan than ripping land. {IF} it ever dries out here there will be a video about ripping. I hope you will be here to watch that one. thanks for the link.

[@michiganfarming1955]

Soybean Farmer www.shoupparts.com/WSS25120C-Winged-Ripper-Point-For-John-Deere This a the 7” point they got a 10” point too. I will be around for the video when you’re ripping. I didn’t mean it that way just trying to help a friend. Have a great day.

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Michigan Farming - thank you very much for the link. now I know what these winged ripper points look like. if cousin will commit to not selling the ripper or giving me first opportunity if he does decide to sell it then I could invest the 180 dollars for these points. I just would not want to spend that kind of money on a tool I do not own. thanks again.

[@michiganfarming1955]

thats not a problem buddy. if you can buy that ripper from cousin and get them point for it youll have a good ripper. them winged points do a great job lifting and fracturing the hard pan. use your own judgment on the size you get i dont know what that 4020 can pull

[@timcaldwell5331]

If your having a problem with wet fields use that ripper to drain it to where ever you want the water to go that's what I do with my land commander

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

John Deere 8260r - it won't stop raining long enough for the ground to dry out for the ripper to actually fracture the hardpan like I want it to. the little I did in this video was just a test. been wet here since last November just after I got the soybeans cut. rains each week and some weeks twice.

[@jackybruckers]

The best thing that could happen to that soil, is a mean frost.

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

jacky bruckers - but I just want it to dry out so I can get lime out and then rip it. I guess frozen ground would be less muddy. thanks for watching.

[@richardsmith9872]

I disagree about not doing all of your field, the reason is you are not only trying to break up hard pan, but you are also aerating allowing oxygen to the microbes in the soil which need the o2 for propagation. there are more examples, but one is sufficient.

[@garyvieths6777]

How about plant cover crop like radishes or check with your county soil service on other cover crop to loosen ground

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

thanks for the comment and for watching here.

[@AgWildNebraska]

Right or wrong, I want to see the 4020 pull that.

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Ag Wild - I did too and that was why I cut the 20 foot long test runs in wet ground and then stopped. working wet ground is a big newbie mistake on a grand scale. I left just over 4 acres out of beans last year due to wet ground. I got not a clue what I said leading Jeff to believe I was going to work wet ground. I don't care what kind of wing tip points are on the tool, working wet ground is not going to produce a positive result. dryer ground at the correct speed the fracturing of the hard pan will occur. seen it many times here in NC soil on tobacco land with the ripper setup just in front of the row beder.

[@boehmfarm4276]

Is the subsoiler supposed to break the soil up more than just the trench it cuts? It won't be disturbed but enough to fracture it?

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Boehm Farm - in dry ground there would be more fracturing. I need to wait and hope it will stop raining and dry out. wet here since I finished soybean harvest last November. rained each week and twice on some weeks. thanks for stopping by and watching. great to see you commenting here. thanks. :)

[@brandoncreech8810]

Where are you from? You sound like central NC?

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Brandon Creech - yep central NC would be correct.

[@brandoncreech8810]

I'm from the Zebulon/Middlesex area. Thought you sounded like a local lol

[@bigDH123]

What good is the moisture going to do 2 feed down where its below your roots?

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

big D fan - the summer sun will bring it up.

[@tharindukarunatilaka9810]

#ripground

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Thank you for stopping by the channel and leaving the comment. I hope you'll come back and watch more videos.

[@TheFarmingLife]

Thanks for the video. I think what you need is a hundred ton of steer manure. I know this farmer he's not too far from you he has quite a bit LOL have a great evening talk to you later

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

The farming Life - nice to see you here my Farmer friend.

[@jimh6879]

The Farming Life how in the world do you get anything done surfing all the other channels, wait a minute you don't!

[@BigCountryFarmer]

We run a subsoiler across all our bean ground that is clay. It helps a lot with soil compaction and also allows oxygen to get into the ground. Nice video!

[@stevenowen4150]

Its called an HPL.

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

EXACTLY 💯, with the key word being locator. I could pretty much tell where the super deep spots were at from the 20 plus years of farming this land but I wanted to know. So it was worth doing to me. It makes no sense, to me, to pull a tool through the Earth That is not even reaching the hard pan. For those locations I would rather back off and a chisel it will produce soil aeriation But I won't feel like I'm wasting time with the wrong tool. This farm is like a patchwork quilt with soil types as well as changing depth before you actually change type. Thanks for being here in the comments. 🙂☕

[@cesmith4566]

I thought the 4020 was the hard pan locator , with the ripper in the ground the 4020 starts lugging down and smoke starts to roll it's in the hard pan. I agree with you it needs to be done! It also drains the wet spots into the drier spots and you get a more even stand!

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

CE Smith - I want to get out there and knock the task out BUT the ground right now is really to wet to get the best result. thanks for the comment and watching.

[@capyfarm2700]

The code of the fertiliser you named indicates it’s chemical shyte. I’d recommend spending your money on spreading compost and chiselling that into your soil. Part will stay on top feeding your crops, part will fall into the deep ruts mixing with you red clay. Year after year while subsoiling you’ll be mixing in more natural materials making your soil richer and less compacted

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

I agree with everything you said if I could have started this program 20 years ago and worked a little bit at it each year I'm reasonably sure I would have been considerable soil improvement on this little farm. Unfortunately there's never been enough money in the budget to even start the program. Small tiny farm with a small tiny operating budget. 🙂🙏🙂

[@landontesar3070]

Thanks, Great demonstration. You saved me bunch of money for one with a gauge, I'm sure I could put a scale on top of one. I sunk a 3/8" rebar into my damp clay at a fence line last week, was surprised how easily it went in.

[@johnnyholland8765]

I am in middle Ga where years of conventional tillage produced hard pan. Except for small grains tillage everyone uses strip till rigs including me. Until you can get one if you could find someone with a "zone builder" or V style ripper with a BIG tractor I would invest and have them go over every acre you have. You will see a difference. But as Jeff Redmond advised you have to catch the land just right and use a plow with a point that will shatter and lift the soil. As far as lime goes you can go ahead and spread because you won't see the benefit till the following year.At least that is my experience here at home. Good luck in the coming year.........

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Johnny Holland - I really don't know why Jeff got the idea I was going to rip wet land, but I let it go. as for the points, the ripper belongs to my cousin and I was just testing with some 20 foot long rips while knowing the land was to wet. we have had rain every week since late November. I hope to get lime on the land before next planting. pH balance is needed bad. I got behind on my lime applications $$$ were the problem. thanks for your comment and for watching here at Soybean Farmer. best 2U too.

[@LVFFarmVlogs]

Yep, that first test just proves that tillage tools actually create compaction! A soil scientist told me this back when I went to soil science class. He said that as the tillage tool stirs the soil the fines fall to the bottom and they are what make the worst compaction, thats why he said to start using cover crops that include plants with a deep tap root like (tillage) radish, rape and turnips. The grass area has compaction because that is all the deeper the roots ever get, the taller the grass grows, the deeper the roots get

[@youtubefarmer3081]

Its hard to beat mother nature at her own game! She's been growing plants for long before mankind! She has never tilled ground and yet she has always provided for all the needs of the creatures on this planet!

[@WorldsOkayestFarmer]

soybean farmer are your videos monetized? I have not seen one ad. If its not you should monetize your videos you would make some extra money to help out your farming doing something you like!

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Worlds Okayest Farmer - no not monetized. I feel people like it here because they don't have to mess with clicking to get past an ad so I want to keep it that way. thanks for asking and the suggestion.

[@WorldsOkayestFarmer]

Hey whatever works for you!

[@justingermanovich]

If your gonna use that soil finisher you have which is basically like a field cultivator. Your just wasting your time. Field cultivators and disks make a hard pan right then and there. I know the Great Plains Turbo Max does NOT create a hard pan at all. Maybe you can try to configure your disk to be somewhat similar as the Turbo Max

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Justin Germanovich - try to hang in there for at least 6 and a half minutes. thanks. - Soybean Farmer - kzbin.info/www/bejne/r4ndmZSIYrt4abM

[@larryraynor3311]

your subsoiler is set up on 42 or 48 inches so why not subsoil field once then run over again splitting that in half then that way you may not need wings on your points,,,after all you're drilling in beans on 7" last year,,,your fracking distance would have more effect and more apt to shatter hardpan

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Larry Raynor - this will be my first year deep subsoiling or ripping land as some call it. I've deep chiseled in years past but not to the depth this ripper can reach. I got a lot to learn about ripping. I like your suggestion. the wing tipped points will cost me 180 dollars for 2 of them. saving the 180 or burning more fuel making a second pass are options to be weighted against one another. thanks for commenting and making this suggestion to me.

[@kswaynes7569]

Hard for me to look out across the field and see those trees in full blossom after a full day of snow, Anchorage has had 14-16" of snow in the last week. Big weekend coming, start of the 1000 plus mile dog sled race, the Iditarod, Alaska's winter recreation!

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

AKWayne S - we have had a false spring and those Bradford Pear trees blossomed way to soon. next week the normal weather should make them drop their flowers. my wife is not happy about this. thanks for watching. I have heard of the Iditarod.

[@crslyrn]

Thanks for sharing what you've learned about the soil & a method to try & help the soil. Like most of the commenters, I must agree with Jeff Reymond's comment on how to get the best results when using a ripper type tool. Stay safe.

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

crslyrn - the ripper is all new to me and it actually belongs to my cousin. Michigan Farming just sent me a link so I could see the Winged Ripper Point and figure out what it looks like. turns out this KZbin channel has placed me in contact with helpful and kind people who want to see me succeed by getting the best results when using this ripper type tool. thanks for watching and here is the link so you can see too. www.shoupparts.com/WSS25120C-Winged-Ripper-Point-For-John-Deere

[@crslyrn]

Thanks for the link. Yep, if you're not sure how to do something, someone here on KZbin will gladly suggest helpful advice. Under the right ground conditions & with the winged ripper points, it's kinda impressive to watch that ripper go thru the field. I look forward to seeing the old ripper & 4020 getting after it.

[@jasonclark3127]

now rip in between the ripped area and get better shatter I seen it done in vineyard and tree areas before they plant. How about the Soybean Poker.

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Jason Clark - thanks for your suggestion on the tool name, I like it. thanks for watching.

[@bparsons72007]

soil probe

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

bparsons 72007 - ok simple tool name and I like it.

[@PeterbiltBoy359-Kyle]

Very interesting soybean can't wait to see that thing work and hopefully by the grace of God you will get better bushel out of the soybeans this year like that soil tester ingenuity very interesting thanks for sharing can't wait to see the Ripper work talk to you later man have a good night take care buddy

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Kyle McElfresh - Kyle always good to see you commenting here buddy. thanks

[@PeterbiltBoy359-Kyle]

Soybean Farmer you're welcome soybean it's my pleasure I enjoy your videos hope you have a good morning talk to you later man be careful going to work

[@CMDSR]

Neat little tool there SBF.

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

You got to develop a feel for what you're doing but it does give you a good indicator as to where the hard pan is at.

[@BrianPellerin]

Logical and easy to listen to 👍

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Thanks for watching I hope you'll come back and watch some more of the videos on my channel. Have a great weekend.

[@BrianPellerin]

@@SoybeanFarmer3300 I’m digging a tunnel so videos about hard pan and the tools to cut through it are helpful

[@DennysCountryLife]

Thanks for the education! Clay is such a hard thing to deal with. I had a subsoiler and loved it. I'd really like to have one again. All the best!

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

Denny's Country Life - I'm just happy the entire farm is not red clay. thanks for the good word.

[@cockshuttboy20]

Good info ,think many of us have some compaction.

[@SoybeanFarmer3300]

cockshuttboy20 Ivan Grant - thanks and thanks for commenting.