Sprayer operators regularly apply pesticides to ensure the health and marketability of their crops. A successful application requires three things:
- An understanding of safe pesticide handling,
- criteria for what and when to spray, and
- the requisite skill to apply pesticides effectively and efficiently.
Generally, pesticide safety certification programs (farmer or contractor) focus on the safe handling, storage and use of pesticides, but they do not provide recommendations on how best to apply crop inputs.
When this not-for-profit website was launched at the end of 2013, it was based on Airblast 101: a four hour classroom-based course designed to provide participants with practical tools to allow them to spray agricultural products in an effective, economic and environmentally responsible manner. Developed by Dr. Jason Deveau of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs in association with Croplife Canada, the course and companion website were created to introduce a new operator to spraying, or to refresh a seasoned veteran.
In 2014, Dr. Tom Wolf of Agrimetrix Research & Training (Saskatchewan) came on board. With Tom’s involvement, the website was re-imagined and greatly expanded to include field sprayer resources. In 2015 we re-launched as www.sprayers101.com. In 2021 we refreshed the look and feel of the site and increased both its functionality and integration with our YouTube site and downloadable resources.
This suite of sprayer resources continues to grow and evolve to reflect our client’s needs. With over a quarter million page views each year from users around the globe it has become the world’s primary source for unbiased information on agricultural spraying. Thanks to our sponsors, thanks to our content contributors and thanks to you for visiting www.sprayers101.com.
Happy Spraying!
