One pass machine improving southern WA soils
Southern WA contractor and farmer Ben Harriss with the family’s Gregoire Besson ‘Discordon One-Pass Finisher’, which has significantly improved their clay spreading service and also has been earmarked for some work on recently acquired cropping land at Newdegate.
Adding an all-in-one soil structuring machine to their equipment fleet has significantly enhanced the clay spreading services offered by southern WA contractor, Harriss Contracting, and is also helping to improve other difficult soils throughout the region.
Run by Ben and Kate Harriss, the business has been spreading clay over farms from the lower great southern to the south-eastern wheatbelt after also providing square hay baling previously, while its scrapers and graders can undertake land levelling, drainage and dam grading works as well.
Ben hails from the mother country and in 2000, like many before him, he came out to WA to drive a header. Now a quarter of a century later, he and Kate have established a successful contracting business, operate a beef cattle property at Narrikup and recently acquired cropping land at Newdegate to further spread their wings. They have two sons, Max and Henry, set to follow their footsteps in agriculture, with their eldest already putting his budding mechanical and fabrication skills to good use in the business.
They have used 18 cubic metre carry graders with GPS grade control and grader boards to accurately and cost-effectively spread clay at rates from 200-600 tonnes per hectare, allowing growers to incorporate it with their own equipment. However, recent investment in a Gregoire Besson ‘Discordon One-Pass Finisher’ has enabled the Harriss’ to now offer a complete, end-to-end clay spreading service to significantly improve soil incorporation for growers.
Purchased following an on-farm demonstration at Narrikup coordinated by local dealer, McIntosh and Son, together with Australian distributor, Waringa Distribution, the family’s 6-metre Gregoire Besson Discordon machine comprises two rows each of independent tines and both notched and smooth discs, plus a following 900-millemtre cage roller packer. The machines are also available with a flat profile, heavy Emopak roller that is ideal for self-seeding.
“We did some claying on a lease block at Narrikup and were looking at ways to incorporate it – our only option at home being an old scarifier. I saw the machine at McIntosh (& Son) in Albany and asked for a demo. The guys brought it out and after seeing what it did in one pass, I knew it would be a great asset for our business and our customers,” Ben said.
In his younger years back in the UK, Ben operated a heavy Gregoire Besson offset disc with a cage roller, so he was well aware of the excellent build quality and performance of the machines.
He also spoke with another local contractor using a Gregoire Besson Discordon prior to the purchase and they said “it had been the only machine to hold together well” in the tough WA conditions.
The family’s machine has completed about 600ha so far and attracted a lot of positive feedback from grower clients. It has incorporated clay, worked heavy and light lands, and alleviated non-wetting soils by mixing top layers and, where suitable, bringing clay deeper in profiles to the surface.
“We’ve been using the straight point with the machine, but are keen to try the winged point option if we want to bring clay up,” Ben said.
He said it was important to incorporate spread clays thoroughly in the top 15-20 centimetres (6-8 inches) of soils and the Gregoire Besson Discordon did this most effectively.
“Some people spread clay and don’t see the results for a few years until their seeders have gone through the country a few times.”
“Offset discs or speed tillers are generally used for incorporation and customers have found three to four passes with a speed tiller are still not getting the clay down, whereas the tyne and disc combination on the Gregoire Besson does a great job of mixing to depth and preventing that surface capping.
“Offsets can also leave a fluffy finish, whereas the cage roller leaves a firmer seedbed and it’s all done in one pass.”
Ben said using the machine for clay incorporation also helped alleviate any compaction caused during the process.
“If you are spreading 500t of clay, it’s a lot of machinery and a lot of weight going over the paddock, whether it’s a big spreader or a carry grader.”
“Fortunately, with the Gregoire Besson, you are mixing and getting rid of the compaction immediately afterwards.”
He said it was easy to adjust the depth of the hydraulic tynes and breakout pressures on-the-go, as well as the depth of the discs via altering the cage roller.
“In heavy country, we have used it like an offset disc, digging 200-250mm deep with the tynes and 150-200mm with the discs. In sands, it’s easy to independently drop the tynes to a depth of around 450mm.”
For further information on Gregoire Besson Discordon, view the Gregoire Besson range here. To organise a demo, growers can contact their nearest McIntosh & Son branch below.