FAQ

What is a TerraStar?

TerraStar is a trademarked name for a patented poly wheel designed to condition soil in a way never accomplished before.

How does the TerraStar actually work?

The TerraStar creates imprints in the soil that both captures water where it falls and then quickly allows the water to infiltrate into the ground.  When used as recommended by TerraManus Technologies LLC, owner of the TerraStar patent, the TerraStar imprints are designed to sequester the water into the ground at a faster rate than the water can fill up an imprint with the exception of say a one hundred year rainfall event.

Won’t any hole made in the ground do the same thing?

No!  In fact, you can kick an impression into the ground with the heel of your shoe and water will collect in the impression you have made.  On any farm field or construction site, you can see plenty of evidence in wheel tracks that capturing water where it falls is not great feat.  The ability of the TerraStar imprint to capture the water (rainfall or irrigated water) and then transfer the water from the imprint into the soil at a predicable rate is the great breakthrough in soil and water science.

The TerraStar technology seems more related to soil issues than water issues.  Why is this?

The TerraStar technology is a patented soil conditioning system and not a water holding system.  Holding water on the surface of the soil is the last thing a farmer wants to see happen on his land.  It is the TerraStar’s ability to sequester water quickly in the soil through a new means of soil conditioning that is the miracle of the TerraStar system.

How does the TerraStar perform this miracle?

The action of two or more TerraStar in row performs new and critical tasks in the soil.  First, as the TerraStar moves through the soil it moves the soil latterly much like a sailboat moves water as its speeding along the waves.  This action allows the soil’s bulk density to be broken down to a finer and more porous state.

That sounds like an odd way to think of soil.  Why think of soil as a liquid?

Because the soil we raise our food in is liquid in its normal state than a solid as most folks think of the soil.  Soils are always in motion and thinking of soils in this manner allows us to think about different ways of moving, manipulating, and shaping the soil than has been done in the history of developing tillage tools.

Secondly, the soil finds itself being ground against itself much the way it would be if you took a clod of dirt in the palm of your hands and began turning your hands counter clockwise to each other.  As you turn your hands exerting nominal pressure you see the clod start breaking up and crumbling out of your hands.

What does this crumbling action have to do with water moving through soil?

What you are doing with your hands in the clod crumbling example and what the TerraStar accomplishes in a farm, garden, or construction scenario is the breaking down of the soil’s bulk density, and the increasing of the soil’s water-fill pore space.

Why is this new method of soil management important to farmers?

By reducing the soil’s bulk density (the small to microscopic space between soil particles) and increasing the soil’s water-fill pore space (the paths through which the earth’s elements move in the soil) you allow a plant’s three critical support elements, hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon to reach a plant’s root system.

What effect has been recorded by science and experienced by farmers with the TerraStar’s system of soil management on plant health?

Incredible effects!  When a plant has access to all the water, carbon, and oxygen it needs when the plant needs it, the improvement in plant health is nothing short of phenomenal.

How does this improved plant health resulting from TerraStar usage help farmers?

We see crop yields increases shoot through the roof! In corn, beans, and all varieties of vegetable crops, we have recorded yield increases of 15% to up to 100%.

How can using the TerraStar increase a crop yield by 100%?

An example of this kind of increase was seen in trials in Central Mexico over a four-year period where the area is rated as semi arid and with only 18” of rainfall per year.  Beans were being planted on four-foot row centers due to the lack of rainfall and available water in the soil.  Frequently farmers saw low crop yields due to the combination of lack of water and severe heat stress.  Using a roller fitted out with a dozen TerraStar wheels mounted on a forty-year-old three-row gravity fed planter the TerraStar system conditioned the soil allowing the rain to be sequestered in the soil instead of running off the soil or evaporating away.  This soil consolidating action combined with improving the soil’s water-fill pore space allowed more oxygen into the soil resulting in vastly improved plant health.

What effect did the TerraStar attached to the bean planter have then?

We were able to improve row spacing from four feet to twelve inches and we saw double production of fruit on the plant.

What do you attribute these yield improvements to then?

By improving plant health you allow the plant to produce the way God created it to produce.  Like all life on our planet, the first order of plant life is self preservation.  If a bean plant’s health is less than it should be the plant’s energy goes to self perseveration instead of fruit production.  A tomato plant fighting heat stress uses its energy to fight the stress instead of making beans.  A corn plant short of its daily water requirement will direct its energy to fighting thirst instead of being focused on producing corn.  A carrot plant in soil that is compacted even a small amount will be crippled in its root system and unable to take up its required diet elements that come from the soil.

What kind of visual improvements to you see in plant health that serve as indicators that the TerraStar system is making an improvements in the plant’s health?

An easy example can be seen a corn plant’s broad leaf appearance.  In control plot corn planted under a conventional practice, the broadleaf on the corn plant is usually around four inches wide while the same leaf on a TerraStar plant is usually four and a half to four and three quarters wide, an increase of around thirty percent in surface area.

What does the width of a corn’s leaves have to do with plant health?

The increased width of the TerraStar broad leaf is about a thirty percent increase in the leaf’s surface area over convention corn broad leaf width.  This thirty percent increase means you will have thirty percent more surface area that in turn means thirty percent more photosynthesis on that leaf.  Now consider that increase times an average of twenty leaves on a corn plant and you begin to see why improved plant health through using the TerraStar system is so incredible.

So increased plant photosynthesis is the key to the TerraStar’s success in plant health?

Increased leaf photosynthesis is an important improvement the TerraStar achieves but the other benefits of the TerraStar system below soil surface are not so obvious.  Increased photosynthesis is an indicator that reduced soil bulk density combined with increased water-fill pore space in the soil are in the optimum balance (achieved without the introduction of any chemical input) for the plant’s root ball development which allows the plant the proper uptake of the naturally occurring elements in the soil.

If you leave the soil loose are you not inviting soil erosion by water and wind?

If you leave the soil loose then yes, you have an unacceptable farming practice.  However, the TerraStar patent was issued because it is the first soil conditioning system that consolidates soil without creating soil compaction.

How does TerraStar’s soil consolidation system differ from soil compaction in a practical example?

One example is that the TerraStar imprints can hold up to six inches of rain on a ten-degree slope with no surface water runoff. One benefit of this achievement in soil management is an end to farm ponding.  Crops can now all mature at the same rate.  An additional benefit is the reduction of both localized and regional flooding because much of the rain that falls now is directed down into the soils, sub soils, and where achievable, through porous rock strata into aquifers.  One can soon see the benefit of managing our planet’s natural soil and water resources in new and truly innovative ways if we could adopt such positive practices on a global basis.

What other example shows an obvious improvement of the TerraStar over existing farming practices?

By improving plant health through TerraStar’s new approach to soil consolidation, we have been able to reduce inputs dramatically.  For example, in corn we have reduced nitrogen applications by nearly twenty percent. In slow release nitrogen on winter wheat, we have been able to reduce applications by nearly twenty percent as well.

How can the TerraStar system reduce fertilizer requirements by those significant amounts?

By dramatically improving plant health we see less need for additional inputs.  Also, because the TerraStar imprints hold the rain where it falls you do not have fertilizers and other inputs running off the land.  Healthy plants are also plants that are capable of releasing the power of twin stacked and the coming generation of quad stacked plant hybrids.

So then, the TerraStar system is positive for the environment.

Absolutely!  For example, it is the phosphates that attach themselves to soil particles and is then washed off the farm during rainfall events into local creeks and streams later to be carried to an area’s rivers.  In the Midwest, those rivers then empty into the Mississippi and the phosphate-laden soil is carried to the Gulf of Mexico.  When the phosphates end up in the warm Gulf waters and are exposed to the tropical sunshine they create huge algae blooms that suck the oxygen out of the water, which results in large fish deaths.

What other positive environment effects do you see with the TerraStar system?

Keeping the soil on the land and out of watercourses and wind blows is increasingly critical for our planet.  For example, we have lost nearly a third of the world’s topsoil through framing practices that result in soil erosion by water and wind. If we continue to grow our world’s food through these damaging practice we will face unparallel problems in the very near future.

Don’t no-till farming practices prevent soil erosion?

From a soil erosion prevention point of view, no-till is a tremendous tool.  However, as a tool for generating plant health, no-till practices have a number of disadvantages when compared to the TerraStar system of soil consolidation. For example, the EPA in farming scenarios rates no-till practices as the worst surface water management practice.  This rating from the EPA is based on the way soils with polluted elements like phosphates attached to them are quickly washed off the land and into watercourses the used by all of us on the planet.  Many farmers have a saying that goes, “No-till means no-corn”.  While this is certainly not the case in all corn growing regions we have proven that TerraStar corn out performs no-till corn as the result of greatly improved soil structure.

Can the TerraStar system help reverse some of our previous crop production damages?

Yes.  The TerraStar system allows us to grow more food with less water, less land, and fewer inputs.  The TerraStar imprints actually create mini reservoirs that soil scientist have dubbed, “microbial wells” because of their ability to trap the most important parts of the soil such as the soil fines, soil microbes, silt, clay, decaying plant material, etc.  These microbial wells aid in the breakdown of plant material and this process helps improve soil fertility.  Post harvest plant material decays at a much faster rate on the imprinted soil than on flat soil surfaces.

What other benefits do you see from TerraStar imprinted soils?

Increased soil warming is one of the most important benefits we have seen from TerraStar soil imprinting.  TerraStar imprinted soil warms four to six degrees warmer than the flat soils without our imprints.  For vegetable farmers who have contract bonuses for getting their crops into the processor early, being able to have soils warm faster than flat soils is a great plus.

Whatever the causes of climate change the effects are being felt around the world by farmers.  Some areas are getting wetter earlier and others are waiting on what turns out to be less and less rainfall.  Can the TerraStar system help with these kinds of crop growing issues?

By allowing farmers to plant earlier into soils that are well drained and warm the planting window is enlarged.  Some areas of the world where late rains are causing later planting dates we see crops trying to mature in cold weather conditions and early frost.  The TerraStar system is proven to help mitigate some of these types of problems by having soils in optimum condition at all times.

Does the TerraStar system work in heavy clay soils?

Improving heavy clay soils is one of the challenges the TerraStar system was designed to tackle.  The first year you use the TerraStar system you may see the same bowling ball size of clods you are used to seeing and by the second year of use you see those clods reduced to grapefruit size clods and by the third year, those big clods have been reduced to golf ball size chunks.

If the TerraStar system helps break down and condition heavy soils how does it work in sandy loam and sandy soils?  For example sandy soils which are great for commercial vegetable crops like onions, cucumbers, carrots and potatoes tend to allow water to pass through to the subsoil to quickly to do the plants any good.  How can the TerraStar’s help sandy soils?

By “pinching” the soil through consolidation TerraStar imprints are able to hold more water for longer periods.  An example would be going to the beach, gathering up a bucket of sand, and turning the bucket upside down like building a sand castle.  You can slowly add a lot of water to the upturned tower of sand because it has been consolidated because of having the right amount of pressure applied through the right bucket material and design.

So you need the right material and design to achieve the TerraStar effect in the soil?

Oh yeah!  It took many years of trial and error to find a material and shape to achieve the TerraStar effect. Most every material used in agricultural tillage equipment manufacturing results in compaction of the soil.  It requires the right type of polymer combined with TerraStar’s patented design to consolidate the soil without compaction, an achievement in soil management never achieved before the TerraStar system.  Developing a polymer flexible enough to consolidate without compaction yet remain strong enough to service thousands of acres of heavy use has been a part of this amazing breakthrough in tillage practices.

Isn’t this the same as using what used to be called a Cambridge roller or a culti-packer?

No.  Those implements were conceived to help firm soil beds but most often resulted in treating the soil in ways that resulted in soil capping which prevented or limited plant emergence.  The TerraStar is proven to help reduce the occurrences of soil capping.

When should the TerraStar be used in the cropping practice?

At every stage of crop management.  For example, by using a roller with TerraStar wheels in a post harvest situation you imprint the soil for the winter.  You can now capture off season rain and snow and sequester that moisture in your soils to use in the summer when you cannot get the rain.  It is at planting season that you can pre-roll your seedbed, post-roll your seedbed after planting or incorporate the TerraStars directly on your planter to help properly consolidate the soil for your optimum seed-to-soil contact.  If you choose to cultivate your weeds like farmers use to do and avoid costly oil based herbicides you can attach TerraStars to your old (or even new) cultivator because the TerraStars will consolidate the soil instead of leaving the soil loose as cultivators alone will do.  The TerraStar imprints should always be the last step of field activity regardless of the season.  Never leave soil in a loose and exposed condition.

It sounds like the TerraStars can help me both save and profit at the same time then right?

Yes.  Any time a businessperson can increase his yields and decrease his input cost he has found a good thing. Use of the TerraStar system results in short term improved profitability by increasing yields and reducing cost.  Long-term profitability is seen through improving the farmer’s most important capital asset, which is his soil. By reducing soil erosion, reducing the soil’s bulk density and increasing his soils water-fill pore space with the added benefit of increasing his soils fertility over time the farmer can sell his land at a higher value.

Do I have to invest a lot of money for a TerraStar system?

No!  A general use ten-foot TerraStar roller with a universal mounting attachment is sold by our partner, May Wes (www.maewes.com) for under $5,000.  Recovery of initial investment in TerraStar equipment is usually achieved in the first year of use.

Can I buy the TerraStar wheels by themselves and add them to the equipment I have now?

Yes.  Mae Wes (www.maewes.com) prices the TerraStars from individual wheels to complete roller systems.

What size are the TerraStar wheels?

TerraStar wheels are 18” in diameter and 5” wide, and are designed to be used even for grains and crops planted on row centers as small as 7″ and 8″.

How can I use TerraStars in my corn planting practice?

You can purchase or make up your own three wheels 15” roller to fit between your 36” corn rows and so have imprints between the rows.  When you get a rain in late July and you need it to finish out your corn crop, having those imprints to capture and then store the rain in the soil helps ensure a profitable season.  Without the TerraStar imprints, those late July and early August rains which are usually short and heavy simply run off the hard ground of late July.

Can I use the TerraStar system with my no-till program?

No.  The TerraStar system requires at least a minimal degree of tillage.  Remember, the TerraStar system is designed to consolidate without compaction.  As a result, the TerraStar wheel is designed to collapse within itself before it will compact the soil.  The TerraStar wheel will work in min-till situations when properly fitted but finds it best and highest use when the entire field is imprinted.

Why do you recommend full field coverage?

The TerraStar system increases the soils surface area by 30%. By increasing the soil surface area, you increase the soil’s water holding capacity as well as warming the entire crop field.  The more aggressive the tillage presented to the TerraStar wheels, the better the results.

Is the TerraStar designed to replace weight-bearing wheels on my equipment?

No!  The TerraStars are designed to, “knead” the soil and not transfer down force pressure on the soil.

Doesn’t the TerraStar create down force pressure like every other tractor, horse, and person working the soil?

The maximum amount of down force pressure the TerraStar wheel creates when operating within its design capacity is still less than 250psi. Unlike every other method or product ever created for tilling the soil, the TerraStar is designed to move the soil latterly instead of vertically down.

How much energy is required to use the TerraStar and achieve its amazing benefit?

The TerraStar system was designed to help address the present and coming energy crisis in agriculture. The system can be used with the largest tractor made doing ten thousand acres of wheat in Colorado or with a horse in Mexico on thirty acres of beans, or by a few kids pulling a human powered unit in Kenya growing two acres of corn.  The results in terms of yield increase are the same in all the above energy scenarios.

The TerraStar system should be a real breakthrough in developing nations then?

Yes!  There are 1.4 billion subsistence farmers around the world today that we intend to change into agribusiness people through the adoption of the TerraStar system. We have a farmer in Kenya using a manpowered TerraStar to grow corn.  Last year he doubled his corn production resulting in his ability to create a disposable income for the first time ever on his farm.  Using the profit from his increased yield allowed him to improve the standard of living not only for his family but also for the families in his village who were able to sell his family new products.

Does the TerraStar’s parent company manufacture TerraStar products for retail sales?

No.  TerraStar’s parent company, TerraManus Technologies LLC is a R&D start-up company that develops innovative cropping systems designed to meet the rapidly changing needs of crop production worldwide.  As TerraManus Technologies LLC develops new products like the TerraStar, they look to attract strategic partners who help build value into their brand and participate in an exit strategy that is typically the sale of the global patents, manufacturing, and distribution rights to the developed product like the TerraStar.