DBS Evolution
Ausplow Farming Systems History (The DBS)
John Ryan AM has been directly involved in the development of agricultural mechanical systems for more than 40 years. He is a nephew of the renowned Percival Yeomans, who developed the first deep cultivating plough in the early 1950s.
He gained intimate knowledge of soil agronomy through Percival Yeoman’s Keyline Farming concept, which is a system of farming on the contour, still used today to create efficient use of water and prevent water erosion.
John designed the first Agrowplow deep tillage machine in 1977, and in eight years to 1985, 4000 models had been sold throughout Australia.
The Agrowplow is widely acclaimed as an important contributor to soil conservation and soil fertility because it breaks soil hardpans and allows roots to seek moisture deeper in the soil profile. Deep tillage achieved by the Agrowplow has both assisted in the build-up of humus at depth and led to increases in crop yields and financial returns.
In 1986, Ausplow Farming Systems in Western Australia was born and, due to cutting edge precision seeding technology and soil conservation, has grown into one of the most innovative businesses in WA. The first venture was to design the Ausplow Deep Tillage machine, which immediately became a popular seller in WA and later throughout Australia, rivalling the Agrowplow John first designed in 1977.
John wins the Prince Philip Prize in 1974 for engineering excellence in developing a soil renovating machine called the Shakeaerator. – Design Australia Magazine, 1974 No.28
Sketch of the patented DBS assembly taken from the original Australian Patent Application (No. 2007202351). – Circa June 2009 Supplied by Engineers Australia
From 1993, research and development gave rise to the concept of a more precise method of accurately sowing seed, resulting in the min-till Auseeder seeding bar and DBS (Deep Blade System) seeding modules. These seeding modules comprised of a patented opening and closing slot and covering wheel system with various size blades that achieve sub-soil cultivation, a form of deep tillage, while leaving the top-soil largely undisturbed.
Achievements with the DBS have enabled farmers to establish crops with minimum moisture while successfully controlling weeds through inter-row chemical application.
DBS owners have seen dramatic improvements on their properties in terms of reductions or even elimination of water run-off, greatly reducing soil erosion. Another major benefit has been the ability to produce crops that are export grade quality.
One of the John Ryan hallmarks is his tireless work with farmers to challenge contemporary thinking and develop new and innovative ways of improving farming systems.
With this initiative, he has provided farmers with free access to his extensive knowledge in agronomy. He never turns inquiring farmers away and is always ready to visit farms or assist if help is needed – particularly when related to improving the performance of the whole farm system.
As John Ryan says: “It is not just the DBS, it is the whole package and attention to the soil.” As one Australian agricultural dealer pointed out: “It is built to last, the quality of the build is the best I have seen, and the three-slot system consistently provides owners with faster and stronger germinations.”
Two happy chappies at one of the many DBS seminars held in the early stages of the company’s growth. Pictured here John Ryan (left) and Ratten and Slater, Esperance machinery dealer Doug Slater who brought several farmers from Esperance to attend the discussion day. – Circa December 2000
Supplied by Farm Weekly
Hence, it is little wonder that the DBS has become one of the most adopted seeding systems in the history of Australian agriculture. To maintain the DBS success in the market, we have patents, registered designs, and registered trademarks to assist in keeping people off “our patch”, but occasionally a competitor has not taken the hint. To Ausplow’s surprise it has become necessary to litigate to successfully enforce the company’s intellectual property rights.
In 2001, Ausplow Farming Systems recognised the need for more efficient delivery of liquids. The Multistream air cart delivery system was born, and incorporated dosing liquids for accurate metering. The Multistream opened a new world of ‘in-furrow’ liquid treatments, and this slowly gained acceptance by farmers who were more used to dealing with granular product applications.
John Ryan (left) shows Narembeen machinery dealer Mark Hattingh the Best Agricultural Machinery Award won at the 2003 Dowerin Field days for the most outstanding exhibit – DBS Multistream. – Circa August 2003 Supplied by Farm Weekly
In 2001, Ausplow Farming Systems recognised the need for more efficient delivery of liquids. The Multistream air cart delivery system was born, and incorporated dosing liquids for accurate metering. The Multistream opened a new world of ‘in-furrow’ liquid treatments, and this slowly gained acceptance by farmers who were more used to dealing with granular product applications.
Today, the aptly named Multistream can deliver a range of Liquid and Granular products. As adoption of ‘in-furrow’ management has grown, it has been adapted to embrace liquid herbicide, fungicide, trace elements and nitrogen treatments.
Finally, the Agronomic benefits in dryland farming from using Ausplow Farming Systems is the improvement of soil structure and health. This often can take many years to build, but many DBS owners have reported improvements in the soil after just one year.
It has always been the focus to create a system that would improve soil fertility without compromising crop yields. In fact, by improving the soil environment for crop growth, the Ausplow Farming System can increase financial returns.
Cultivation below the seed is a critical feature for improving soil health because soil hardpans are broken providing multiple pathways for water and oxygen to penetrate soils at depth. At the same time, the DBS has the ability to “chase” moisture in dry starts to the season by creating greater access to deeper sub-soil moisture, thus enhancing the wet-up of seed beds from capillary action.
This feature has allowed farmers to counter adverse effects of dry sowing, particularly in years with sporadic rainfall events, where wet-dry scenarios in the topsoil can cause patchy crop germinations.
The benefits of the Ausplow seeding system for creating a favourable environment for seed germination and seedling development are expanded in the ‘Agronomy’ pages.
The revolutionary DBS blade. – Circa 1996 Supplied by Ausplow
The innovative Ausplow Engine Mount for the Multistream. – Circa 2007 Supplied by Ausplow