Unverferth Zone Builder- northern MN

Does anyone have any experience running a zone builder to break up hard pan compaction spots?  We have a farm that has had a large amount of manure tanks pulled on it and the headlands are compacted and grow little to nothing.  The farm was recently pattern tiled to help with drainage but I still find it hard to get the crop to grow on the headlands.   The idea would be to deep rip the headlands at 15-20” deep when dry to help break up the hard pan.

During the summer we first spread a cover crop mix then run our unverferth zone builder where we plan to plant the following spring using RTK guidance then inject manure in the same zone. Have had good luck with both compaction and prepping for the next crop.

Roots not tillage. Tillage can break hard pans but not bulk density

Soil moisture needs to be a major factor in your timing. 
Make sure your below the compaction. And when your done. Plant a cover crop that has a deep deep root to help with maintaining that loose soil. Mitigation of the compaction.
I like to think of it as a broken bone. Once the compaction is deep and your break it. If you aren't careful... You can get it deeper by treating the soil improperly.

We love our Brillon Zone Commander. We run it at 22 inches deep. I’d suggest using a pentrometer to find where your 2 compaction layers are. Often times there is one at about 6 inches and another at 20 inches.

I don’t have experience with that specific brand, but having had experience from Idaho- Texas, there’s lots of variables. Soil type, OM, and crops. Do a test dig with a backhoe and run a knife from top down, you will see exactly where your hard pan is, only rip 1-2” under the hard pan. Some rippers can cause too much disturbance, I prefer low disturbance rippers.

I can't speak to the Zone Builder specifically but I have had experience with a lot of subsoilers. We use a penetrometer to determine the worst points in the field. Then we grab a shovel and dig pilot holes to grab a snapshot of the hardpans average depth. We generally just set the machine for a couple inches deeper than average. That being said not all machines are built the same and a lot of them invert the aerobic and anaerobic zones in the soil without proper management after the rip, you might not gain the results you were seeking

Rippers work to manage compaction.  I rent out a ripper, and that's one use for them.

Response from Karen Livesay Fitch in Field Crops, Row Crops, Tillage | AGvisorPRO

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