rexresearch.com
Terrastar Soil Conditioner
http://www.terramanustech.com/
Gregg Whittaker | gregg@terramanustech.com
Stephen Carr | stephencarr123@yahoo.com
Laura Marcusse | laura@terramanustech.com
1416 Woodbury Lane
Liberty, MO 64068
816.792.0747
http://www.terramanustech.com/ourtech.html
TerraStar
TerraManus Technologies currently owns three proprietary technologies. TerraStar® is an inflatable, molded plastic wheel (right) that represents a potentially transforming advancement in soil and water management technology which, we believe, may be the reconciling link between competing economic and environmental interests worldwide. Via a proprietary process called Hydra Forming, TerraStar uses lateral consolidation (not compaction) to create reservoirs or “weir systems” of geometrically ordered roughness in the soil to manage water flow, reduce soil erosion, and increase surface area and the water penetration rate into the soil, resulting in increased crop yields and reduced input costs to farmers.
This technology works differently than other soil modification devices, because our weir systems are created in such a way as to consolidate the soil without causing soil compaction. The walls of these weirs are formed of various curves and angles, all of which increase the soil surface area and hold and control flowing water while allowing it to penetrate into the soil. This in turn leads to enhanced yields and reduced input costs. Moreover, soil erosion and surface ponding on fields are significantly reduced because rainfall and irrigation water are held where they fall, thereby reducing runoff and increasing the rate of water penetration into the soil. TerraStar has potential applications in agriculture, bio-fuel, real estate, land reclamation, and road construction.
Our independent testing results revealed the following benefits of TerraStar usage:
* Increased crop yields and enhanced plant quality
* Reduced water and chemical costs
* Reduced soil erosion and water and chemical runoff
* Improved soil quality
According to Dr. Stephen, these results are driven by providing plants more of what they need, namely water and sunshine. The TerraStar performs three primary functions. First, the reservoirs created by TerraStar hold water in place, providing plants with the moisture they need. Dr. Stephen states that the TerraStar may improve the potential for yield in today’s genetically enhanced corn hybrids, given that these reservoirs become a microbial well which creates an optimal growing environment for plants. Second, TerraStar consolidates the soil, which reduces soil erosion and (unlike other technologies which compact the soil) enhances the infiltration rates of the water. TerraStar usage reduces the soil’s bulk density and increases the water-fill-pore-space of the soil by about 20%. The increased water-fill-pore-space allows for more moisture holding capacity and air movement within the soil. These enhancements are the equivalent of turning a two inch rainfall event into a four inch rainfall event in terms of available moisture for the plant. Third, TerraStar increases the surface area of the soil by approximately 30%. And as the surface area increases, the soil temperature increases and the benefits of sunshine are enhanced. This all tends to create healthier, higher yielding plants.
The TerraSystem™ is a cropping technology that does in one pass (cultivating, planting, fertilizing and soil and water management with the TerraStar, partial prototype left) what farmers currently do in 2 to 4 passes. Multi-tasking by farmers can dramatically reduce labor and fuel costs, but the horsepower required to pull multiple implements in the field is often prohibitive. Limited field testing of simple prototypes indicates that the TerraSystem requires only about 80% of the horsepower required to pull a traditional subsoiler alone.
The TerraSaver™ is a human-powered tractor and cropping system being developed specifically for third-world farmers. The tractor will be pedaled by two people and will be equipped with a cultivator/subsoiler, drill, broadcaster (for fertilizing) and TerraStars for wheels. It is intended to perform all of these functions, like the TerraSystem, in one pass.
This technology is being designed to address the desertification problem that exists in many third world countries and provide farmers with the tools to become self sufficient. The TerraSaver will require no power source or additional inputs other than human beings, which is a resource these countries generally have in abundance. Moreover, it will be simple to use and we estimate its retail cost at less than $1,000.00. (Above is an even simpler horse-drawn technology.) While this technology is currently in the concept stage, we intend to pursue patents on both the TerraSystem and TerraSaver technologies and we believe that the TerraSaver will effectively enable farmers in lesser-developed countries to begin reaping the benefits of “precision farming” as well the TerraStar technology.
http://www.cleantech.com/news/4590/ag-innovation-seeks-funding
June 15, 2009
Ag Company Boosts Yields Without Chemistry
by
Lisa Sibley
Cleantech Group
TerraManus Technologies is one of 20 companies the Cleantech Group spotted in the past week looking to raise money. Find out more in the Pitch o’ the week.
A new farming equipment invention from Liberty, Mo.-based TerraManus Technologies has an absorbent waffle-like effect on soil, rather than that of a pancake where the syrup runs off the sides.
Using the breakfast analogy, TerraManus CFO Gregg Whittaker told the Cleantech Group the company’s new ground tilling system addresses soil erosion, water flow management and related environmental problems, while increasing crop yields and reducing input costs to farmers. And the company, which is currently pre-revenue, expects that status to change before the end of the month.
“The concept is very simple, but the science behind it is very complex,” he said. “Each curve on the wheel maximizes the water flow, and consolidates rather than compacting the soil.”
The company’s invention, called the TerraStar, is essentially an inflatable, molded plastic wheel. It uses consolidation to create reservoirs that are walled by various curves and angles. The result helps to increase the surface area of the soil by about 35 percent as well as boosting the water penetration rate into the soil, the company claims.
Whittaker said farmers have been able to reduce water and fertilizer needs by 10 to 30 percent. And increased crop yields have been as much as 42 percent for tomatoes and 12 percent for corn, for which demand has been steadily growing in recent years (see American farmers plan to plant more corn this year).
The TerraStar has potential applications in agriculture, biofuel, real estate, land reclamation and road construction. It’s an embodied technology, Whittaker said, meaning it works within the existing framework of farming operations, as opposed to requiring farmers to change how they farm. The company has patented its technology in the United States, and is finalizing global coverage.
TerraManus, a research and development company founded in 2005, is developing strategic partners to distribute its invention, which retails for about $90 for one wheel.
The company is seeking $500,000, most likely from angel investors, to continue its research and commercialization efforts.
The company wants to build and expand its marketing strategy with companies including Hutchinson, Minn.-based agriculture attachments manufacturer May Wes and other strategic partners. May Wes makes three universal farming attachments that work with the TerraStar, and is already selling the TerraStar.
The TerraStar can be attached to both machine and human-powered equipment, and was developed with U.S. and European high-tech industrialized farming in mind.
“We discovered very quickly that it could be used by farmers in less developed countries as well,” Whittaker said.
The company’s TerraSaver is a human-powered tractor and cropping system being developed for third-world farmers. Whittaker said the company is working on manufacturing and distributing its technology in Kenya.
The company’s research has been conducted at Martinsville, Ill.-based Arise Research & Discovery and in Mexico, where a bean crop was tested over five years on a control plot. During one of those years, Mexico experienced a drought. But because the TerraStar increased the soil’s moisture content, though the plot received little rain, it “looked like an oasis in the middle of a desert,” Whittaker said.
With additional funds, Whittaker said the company wants to expand the technology’s applications in twin-row planters, where crops are planted in twin rows and essentially double the amount of yield per acre compared to standard rows. But the soil currently can't support it because there aren't enough soil nutrients. TerraManus believes the TerraStar could change that.
The market potential for the company’s technology is large and growing, Whittaker said. Of the $100 billion in worldwide ag equipment sales every year, $22 billion of that is in North America. Of that, $13 billion of that market worldwide and $2.5 billion in North America could benefit from TerraStar’s equipment, Whittaker said.
US7478684
Soil conditioning device
2007-01-11
Inventor(s): WARD KEITH [GB]
Applicant(s): TERRAMANUS TECHNOLOGIES LLC
Classification:- international: A01B21/02; A01B21/0-
European: A01B29/04
Also published as: WO2007008393 (A2) //
WO2007008393 (A3) // MX2007016419 (A) //
EP1912489 (A2)
Abstract -- A soil conditioning device having a series of peripheral ridge members having a leading and trailing prow shaped surface circumscribing a disc, wheel or drum and a method of use. Optionally the prow shaped peripheral ridge members are joined by sub-ridge members forming a single ridge of varying heights circumscribing the disc, wheel or drum.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to soil conservation, more specifically toward an apparatus for conditioning surface soils thereby increasing infiltration.
2. Description of the Related Art
Traditional farming comprises tasks such as plowing, disking, harrowing, seeding, fertilizing, and harvesting. During this farming process, soil is often left in a loose condition where the soil is subject to moisture evaporation and erosion. There is an increased demand to accomplish these farming tasks in a manner to conserve the soil by reducing erosion and to conserve the water by increasing the infiltration capability of the soil. Additionally, there is a demand to multitask these operations such that several tasks can be accomplished in a single pass over the land thus improving the efficiency of the farming operation and reducing costs. Due to the increasing demand for soil and water conservation as well as multitasking in farming and land management practices, it has become necessary to design machinery and supporting systems.
Traditionally, soil erosion and surface water management has been attempted with diking, imprinting and compacting systems, and reservoir tillage systems. These systems have been designed for the purpose of sealing the soil surface and/or retaining water where it falls thus reducing erosion. There are many forms of equipment available today that attempt to create irrigation pools and reservoirs in the soil surface. Examples of processes which use equipment to compact the soil into pools include furrow irrigation, diking, compacting and punching, spading and scooping, imprinting and impressing. All of these processes incorporate devices that can be mechanically driven or ground driven and can be linear or rotary in their operation. However, these traditional processes and associated devices fall short of providing a system or device which reduces erosion, reduces water runoff, increases water infiltration, and allows multitasking.
Imprinting and compacting devices compact the soil to overcome erosion by creating pools. These devices require excessive weight to be applied perpendicular to the soil surface, allowing the soil structure to be impressed in order to make their imprints. An example of an imprinting machine is the Dixon Wheel Roller.TM. which is designed to have the required weight to overcome the soils surface structure in order to make an impression. As a result of the compaction, the soil surface is sealed which causes the soil surface to become substantially impervious to water infiltration.
Compaction in soil is the direct result of weight applied to the soil surface. Compaction occurs quite frequently on farmland because of the type of equipment used, such as a moldboard plow or imprinting and compacting devices. Further compaction is caused by high traffic, tractors, carts, etc. on the soil surface. This compacted soil surface is commonly known as hard pan. When weight is applied to the soil, the soil structure is compressed. The greater the weight or load to the soil, the greater the amount of compaction. Compaction causes the surface soil to become compressed to such a level that it becomes substantially sealed and impervious to water. The top soil below the compacted surface soil is consequently substantially sealed off and has little water for infiltration. This in turn leads to a reduction in replenishing of water in the underlying aquifer which has contributed to the current water supply problems. Additionally, farmers need use equipment such as Rippers.TM., SubSoilers.TM., or Pan Busters.TM. to penetrate below the hard pan and fracture it to allow moisture to infiltrate and therefore promote root systems on the crops. This practice does little to provide a system which reduces water runoff, increase water infiltration, or allow multitasking.
More recently, imprinting type machines have been designed to require less weight to make an impression in the soil surface in an effort to overcome some of the associated problems. Even though these more recently designed machines are lighter than the Dixon Wheel.TM. and other similar devices, they are all still relatively heavy and decrease water infiltration capabilities of the soil.
Soil diking systems and devices have been designed to overcome some of the problems associated with the imprinting and compacting systems. Diking is accomplished by scooping, digging, and/or dragging the soil which is then left in a loose condition to form pools or reservoirs. Less weight is needed for diking than imprinting or compacting devices in an attempt to leave the soil surface more pervious to water. However, when water is applied to the loose soil it impacts and dislodges the fine particles of soil and organic matter on the sides of the dikes and washes them into the bottom of the pools. These particles of soil then seal the bottom of the pools which reduces the infiltration capability of the soil and diminishes the reduction of runoff. Additionally, the loose soil is eroded from the field in both light and heavy rainfall events.
Another recent attempt to provide soil and water conservation in farming has been the practice of no-till farming. No-till farming is where the soil is left undisturbed from harvesting to planting. Planting is accomplished in a narrow seedbed or slot created by disc openers. Coulters, residue managers, seed firmers, and modified closing wheels are used on the planter to provide adequate seed to soil contact. However, there are several disadvantages associated with no-till. No-till requires the use of herbicides to eliminate competition from weeds which raises production costs. Crop residue left on the soil hinders soil warming and drying, making planting more difficult and reduces seed germination. Conventional tillage systems cannot be used to incorporate fertilizers and herbicides. The heavy residue or foliage left on the land may result in poor seed soil contact thus reducing seed germination. Also, the soil surface is not left in a highly permeable state resulting in rain water runoff and reduced infiltration to subsurface soils and the underlying aquifer.
Most recently, reservoir tillage systems such as the one taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,372 ('372) have been devised to overcome the problems associated with the aforementioned farming practices. '372 teaches an agricultural instrument having a series of multifaceted peripheral ridge members having flat leading and trailing edges selectively spaced circumscribing a disc. The ridge members have a flat circumferential section spacing therebetween. The configuration of the '372 device compacts the soil to form water retaining pools in the soil from the vertical impact of the ridge member on the soil upon rotation. This compaction reduces water infiltration into the soil. Additionally, the flat trailing edge of the multifaceted peripheral ridge member pitches the soil at rotation velocities necessary for efficient farming practices. This pitching of the soil fills in the created pools with fine particles that seal the bottom of the pools which further reduces the infiltration capability of the soil. Furthermore, pitching of the soil destroys a portion of the structure of the pool leading to early failure of the remaining pool structure.
There remains a need for improving soil and water conservation as well as providing for efficient farming practices, such as multitasking, and land management practices.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is comprised of a soil conditioning device having a series of prow shaped peripheral ridge members optionally joined by sub-ridge members circumscribing a disc, wheel or drum. When the soil conditioning device is rolled across the soil surface, a series of consolidated prow shaped hollows and optional weir formations are created in the soil enhancing soil permeability and reducing water runoff. Rolling of the soil conditioning device across the soil surface may be accomplished with a mechanized, human, or animal powered apparatus. The soil conditioning device may serve as the wheels for the apparatus rolling the soil conditioning device or passively pulled with the apparatus. Preferably a transport means such as a tractor will pull a cylindrical rolling tool having a plurality of soil conditioning devices mounted thereon. The primary purpose of the soil conditioning device is enabling the soil to retain rain water where it falls and consequently reduce erosion and increase water retention and infiltration of the soil and provide for multitasking capabilities.
The soil conditioning device is a rotary device which can be attached to most any existing agricultural and horticultural machine and may also be attached to any specially designed machine for use in construction, mining or other situations which require earthworks, including home gardening. Additionally, the soil conditioning device may be fitted to an animal or human powered device such as tri-wheeled vehicle having soil conditioning devices serving as wheels. Several soil conditioning devices may be adjacently aligned to form a soil conditioning tool in the form of a cylindrical roller having a plurality of soil conditioning devices. The device or tool is driven or rolled while being in contact with the ground forming a series of prow shaped hollows and optional adjoining weirs. Additionally, the soil conditioning device or tool can be fitted with a ratchet release, break or clutch device, or can be driven mechanically from a variety of sources at speeds necessary for multitasking.
The soil conditioning device is comprised of a relatively lightweight material. Such materials may include wood, polyurethane foam, rubber, silicon rubber, synthetic rubber, Hytrel.TM., urethane, various plastics or polymeric materials, and combinations thereof. Preferably, the soil conditioning device is manufactured from plastic or polymeric materials such as high density polyethylene (HDPE), polyvinyl chloride, vinyl, or other such moldable plastic materials. HDPE has been found to be advantageous since it is a material which is light weight, strong, flexible and exhibits self cleaning capabilities when applied to the soil. Optionally, the use of UV-stabilizers such as carbon black may be added to improve its weather resistance. Combinations of various polymeric materials have also exhibited the desired properties of being relatively lightweight and a having a degree of flexibility.
The soil conditioning device is molded producing a circular outer skin having a series of prow shaped peripheral ridge members optionally joined by sub-ridge members surrounding a hollow core. This design and material of manufacture allows the shape, hardness, and weight to be adjusted at its point of use by a farmer or other user for various soil types. This adjustability enables it to work efficiently in a variety of conditions. The adjustment is accomplished by filling the hollow core through a valve in the soil conditioning device. The core may be filled with compressed air or other gases, water or other liquids, gels, solids, expanding foam, a mixture of air and water, or any combination thereof to obtain the desired shape, hardness, and/or weight.
The soil conditioning device molds or consolidates the soil upon which it is rolled or driven upon by applying light pressure to the soil surface in a substantially horizontal direction so as to lightly consolidate or bind the outermost surface of the soil together. Consolidating the soil surface lightly sticks the outermost surface soil particles together leaving a porous permeable soil surface for greater infiltration capabilities. As the device travels through the soil, the soil flows over and around the various component surfaces of the device restructuring the soil to a desired form. While the soil flows over and around the various surfaces, the soil is caused to lift and flow in a bow wave fashion behind the device or tool having a plurality of devices. While the soil is in the flowing state, the device is rotating within the soil flow and forming, ushering, and gently kneading the soil while ushering it into place producing a series of consolidated hollows and optional weirs, therefore leaving the soil surface in a "Geometric Ordered Roughness (GOR), necessary for the control of erosion caused by water and wind, in a process known as "Hydroforming". This process of consolidating the soil requires little or no additional pressure or force perpendicular to the soil surface thus providing little or no compaction to the surface soil. The consolidation is accomplished in a substantially lateral direction and shapes a structure in the soil consisting of various curves and angles forming prow shaped hollows and optional adjoining weirs which increases the soil surface area. The increase in permeability and surface area of the soil surface both contribute to the increase in soil infiltration and consequent reduction in erosion. Additionally, the prow shape of the ridge allows for the device to be operated at speeds necessary for efficient farm practices.
The soil conditioning device of the present invention consolidates the soil surface into a series of permeability or porous prow shaped hollows and optional adjoining weirs controlling water flow and increasing the surface area of the soil contacting rain water thus increasing the effective infiltration rate of the soil. These prow shaped hollows and optional adjoining weirs are designed to slow and/or stop flowing water while allowing it to infiltrate the soil. These structures are consolidated evenly over their entire surface of the soil increasing the surface area of the soil and increasing the infiltration rate of the soil. Additionally, increase surface area increases soil warming from the sun allowing for improved seed germination. Below this molded or consolidated surface, the soil structure remains loose thus allowing water to percolate throughout the soil. These prow shaped hollows and optional adjoining weirs increased porosity, infiltration rate, and water absorbing capability of the soil directly reducing erosion of the soil by substantially eliminating and/or slowing water runoff. Additionally, surface ponding on fields is reduced since rainfall or irrigation water is more easily absorbed by the soil having a higher porosity and surface area in contact with the water.
The soil conditioning device has many applications and benefits. It is capable of working on most all soil types and agricultural applications, such as planting, surface water control, soil warming, reducing wind erosion, cultivating and plowing, or common construction applications, such as scraping, building berms, reclaiming land, or even creating meridians between interstate highways.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the soil conditioning device of the present invention showing the prow shaped ridge members and subridge members circumscribing a wheel.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the soil conditioning device of the present invention showing a plurality of spaced prow shaped ridge members circumscribing a wheel.
FIG. 3 is a side view of the soil conditioning device of FIG. 1 showing the relative size of the prow shaped ridge members and subridge members circumscribing a wheel.
FIG. 4 is a front view of the soil conditioning device of FIG. 1 showing the angle between opposing sides of the prow shaped ridge members circumscribing a wheel.
