Farming with nature

Few people understand soil the way John Ryan AM does. We were lucky to sit down with him.

At Ramsey Bros, we’ve always believed the best partnerships are built on shared values — backing farmers, respecting the land and looking for better ways forward. That’s what’s made our long-standing relationship with Ausplow, and its founder John Ryan, such a natural fit.

Some people leave a mark on an industry. Others quietly reshape it — John is one of those people. For decades, his focus has been clear: “Helping farmers improve their crops, reduce input costs and soil damage, and make money while building better soil.”

It’s a philosophy that has guided his life’s work and continues to shape farming systems nationwide.

A lifetime of looking deeper

John’s approach has always come back to one core idea: understanding what’s happening beneath the surface. Long before ‘soil health’ became a focus, he was already increasing water infiltration, reducing runoff, and creating better conditions for plants to grow.

“I think one of the most important things is holding water where it falls,” he says. “Working with Dr Margaret Roper, who spent 40 years in microbiology, taught me a lot.

“I also learned a huge amount from my uncle, PA Yeomans. His internationally-recognised farming system was built on the same idea: that the cheapest water is the water where it falls. But much of ours runs off, as we see with floods across Australia,” he explains.

John’s uncle worked on contour systems and channels to store water, along with farm dams and deep tillage.

“That’s where I started, eventually designing deep ripping machines that let water soak in without turning the soil over, so you don’t dry it out or damage the structure.”

That thinking led to a deeper focus on how soil actually functions.

“One of the most important things is improving water infiltration and understanding soil biology — how plants grow and what nutrition they need.”

From there, his work evolved into systems that improve soil structure and crop establishment with minimal disturbance — now the foundation of Ausplow’s seeding systems nationwide.

Innovation grounded in the field

While John’s work has been recognised at the highest levels, including a Member of the Order of Australia and the Prince Philip Prize for Engineering Excellence, his focus has always remained on the paddock.

“What’s meant the most to me is seeing the benefit to farmers — not just in their operations, but in the land itself and overall productivity. They’re reducing costs, getting better yields, and producing better food,” John says.

“We probably don’t measure it enough yet, but we’re starting to see quality improvements — better grain, and farmers increasingly being paid for it.”

That connection to farmers has shaped Ausplow’s evolution. Rather than developing ideas in isolation, John has spent decades working alongside growers, observing what works and refining systems.

“I’ve learned a lot from farmers,” he says. “They know what they’re doing.

“One example that’s stuck with me is east of Perth, where channels were once used to catch water and fill dams. With the Deep Blade System, each furrow holds water where it falls, and the deeper knife blade improves infiltration, keeping it in the soil instead of losing it as runoff.

“They’ve seen yield increases of around 30 percent, along with stronger pastures and better lambing. It’s also changed how they think about pasture cropping. Instead of removing pasture before cropping, they’re sowing into it — keeping those roots in place to support soil biology,” John explains.

“It’s about working with the system, not against it, and there’s real potential, especially when livestock are involved.”

This collaborative approach has helped Ausplow systems adapt across Australia.

“We’ve got machines in all sorts of soils — from sand to heavy clays — and different climates, but the benefits are consistent because it comes back to plant roots. Sow near the old root zone and you’ve already got moisture, air, structure and biology there,” he says.“With more focus on crop rotation, especially legumes and different root types, and even summer cropping, we’re seeing even more benefit from using roots to build and hold the soil.”

Rethinking how soil works

While the engineering behind Ausplow’s systems is impressive, what drives John today is something less visible.

“What it really comes back to is biology,” he says.

It’s a shift shaped by research and decades of observation. By improving soil structure and retaining root systems, he’s seen crops access nutrients more easily, establish faster, and deliver stronger yields, often with fewer inputs.

“This is where Dr Roper’s work was really important. We started seeing the benefits — getting very good results with the knife blade, and sowing accurately so seed depth was consistent. That meant the plant didn’t waste energy sending roots down first — it could grow more efficiently.

“When you understand nutrition, it comes back to photosynthesis — energy from sunlight. The plant turns that into sugars, which move through the roots and feed the soil biology. That biology unlocks minerals so the plant can grow quickly,” John says.

“So the most important things, as I see it, are holding water, supporting biology, and keeping air in the soil. The knife blade disturbs the soil less, holds moisture, and keeps the root structure intact, allowing the biology to do its job and keeping the soil well aerated.

“Dr Roper’s research showed that water vapour is a key way plants get moisture. If you break the hard pan, even in dry soil, water can move up as vapour into the seed zone, creating close to 100 percent humidity and faster germination,” John explains.

“Farmers are telling me yields can increase by around 30 percent using this system. What really excites me is the opportunity in biology, combined with the right machinery.”

But for John, it’s not just about higher production. It’s about building healthier systems overall.

“Producing better food, improving soil, improving nutrients — that can only lead to good things,” he says.

Learning from nature

Given his field of work, it’s not surprising that John often looks to nature for answers.

“Biology is the key to farming, and it’s happening all around us. We don’t cultivate forests, yet they thrive. Leaves fall, form humus, hold moisture, and feed roots that mostly sit in the top 12 inches,” he says.

“Fig trees are a great example — massive root systems, but mostly near the surface. You’ll often see new plants growing in that thin layer on top. Even in cyclones, trees fall because they don’t have deep roots — they live where the moisture and nutrients are.

“When plants don’t get the right minerals, we lose food quality. I’ve seen it firsthand working with growers. We used less water, plants grew bigger, lasted longer, tasted better, and had higher nutritional value,” John explains.

“Dr Roper’s work showed there’s far more biology around old roots, so if you sow near them, the new crop can tap straight into that moisture, structure and nutrients,” John says.

“It also means less fuel, less input, and a more efficient system. I see a big future for this type of machine in broadacre grain cropping. We’re just learning how to work with that natural system.”

Built over decades, still moving forward

At 83, John is still deeply energised about the future of farming.

“I have no plans to retire. I’ll keep working,” he says.

Looking back, John never imagined Ausplow would grow into what it is today. It was built on solving problems and helping farmers do things better.

“I suppose I developed the philosophy early on, seeing the benefits of deep tillage and what it did to the soil. I first saw it in self-mulching soils in Queensland, which are very hard to improve structurally.

“That’s where I learned those soils swell when they get wet and seal up, so there’s very little air. Then when they dry, they crack, but roots don’t go down effectively because it dries out too quickly. Understanding that really shaped the way I approached it.”

A legacy that runs deep

Across Australia, the influence of John’s work can be seen not just in machinery, but in the way farmers think about their soil. From improving water use and reducing erosion, to supporting better crop establishment and long-term soil health, his work has helped shape more productive, sustainable systems.

Asked if he’d change anything in hindsight, he’s clear.

“No, I think I pretty much got it right. A lot of it was learning alongside farmers — they really know what they’re doing, but maybe didn’t always have the depth of science behind it.

“I was fortunate to work with people like Dr Anderson and Dr Roper, who brought that scientific understanding. If I’d connected with that earlier, I probably would’ve applied a lot of this thinking 30 or 40 years ago.”

When asked what he hopes his work will be remembered for, his answer is characteristically modest.

“Improving farming by bringing nature back into the soil. Farming with nature.”

It’s a sentiment that reflects a lifetime of work. And as the industry continues to evolve, John’s legacy will continue to run deep beneath its surface.

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