Robert Roohms was born and raised on a farm, and he has been farming since 1967. In 1984, he started Rye Wicking to make extra money, and it was at this time that he purchased his very first wick bar system. He pulled this gravity-fed drip system with his trusty Honda 4-wheeler, painstakingly covering fields day in and day out. After a couple of years of treating his own wheat fields, Robert’s neighbors started to take notice of his success in keeping rye under control. When farmers in his area began contracting him to wick their fields, the volume of work quickly got out of control. He was struggling to keep up with this new venture while also staying on top of his own farming.

 

It was out of this necessity that the idea for Top Crop Weed Wipers was born. First, Robert tried building an adjustable bar that he pulled with his tractor, but he still couldn’t cover enough acres, and terraces could sometimes become a problem for this system. Even though this was a big improvement, Robert still knew there had to be a better way.

 

One day, while Robert was picking up supplies from a local parts store, he had the clerk collect a multitude of parts. The two had soon collected enough to cover the entire store counter. In the midst of this chaotic brainstorming session, Robert noticed a manifold system, intended to be used for fertilizer application, sitting on the counter, and that was when it hit him. He realized that he could attach a pump system to his wicking bar to apply the chemical consistently and predictably.

 

Robert had spent years using a very similar manifold system on his M-Farmall tractor, so he was familiar with how it worked. Armed with his innovative idea and the parts to make it work, he set out to build his own custom wicking system. In 1999, he successfully improved upon his original design. He developed a method for attaching the sponge system to spray rigs and using the sprayer’s internal pump system to drive it all. This meant that the chemical could be applied evenly and more safely, plus he could sit inside the cab in the glorious air conditioning!

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Later in 1999, Robert met his future wife, Kathy, while Christmas shopping in Wichita, Kansas. At the time, Kathy was working as an ICU RN, but she quickly began to share Robert's passion for Weed Wiping and soon left her job to join Robert in the field full-time. They were married in 2002 and have been working as a team ever since! Kathy handles the client communication and organization, freeing Robert up to focus on doing the actual Weed Wiping.

 

Implementing his new system for his wicking immediately increased the number of acres Robert could cover in a day, especially with Kathy by his side to help minimize distractions and organize his schedule. Since the inception of this technology, he has gone from using 60-foot booms to massive 100-foot booms for his applications, even further reducing the amount of time it takes to cover fields. The best part? This system can be adapted to any type of spray rig, making it accessible to anyone who wants to keep weeds or rye in their wheat fields under control. To learn more about Top Crop Weed Wipers, and to purchase one online, click the button below.