Soil Revitalizer Boosts Pasture Profits

Soil Revitalizer Boosts Pasture Profits MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 9-5-23 "It works like a mechanical worm," says Hank Klinkhamer, manufacturer of a new-style soil renovator that punches thousands of small holes in pastures to trap water and prevent fertilizer run-off. "It boosts yields an average of 34% while using just half as much fertilizer. "I've seen lakes and small ponds dry up when the pasture around them is treated with our machine because the runoff is so drastically reduced," says Klinkhamer, noting that his spiked drum "Soil Revitalizer" can be pulled at speeds of 7 to 10 mph, covering 60 to 70 acres per hour. Width of the spiked roller is 8 ft. It weighs 1,650 lbs. empty, and 3,300 lbs. when full of water. It's equipped with 88 spikes and requires at least a 40 hp. tractor to operate. "Other pasture renovators slice through the soil, compressing it to either side or downward. This machine creates more than 200,000 little reservoirs that capture rainfall and fertilizer runoff that might normally be lost from compacted soils. It also aerates the soil, promoting greater root growth and aiding the growth of bacteria in the soil which cannot grow without air," says Klinkhamer. "After you've treated a piece of ground it's covered with little cores of earth that look like soil samples. The centrifugal force of the turning drum throws the cores out, keeping the spikes empty and clean," says Klinkhamer. The new pasture renovator sells for about $1,500. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Hank Klinkhamer, N. Z. Soil Aeration Ltd., P.O. Box 10372, Te Rapa, Hamilton, New Zealand (ph 071492-059).

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