Sprayer Cleanout and Cleaner Selection

Editor’s Note: Changes have been made to this article since its original publication in 2015. Introduction When in-crop spraying is around the corner, sprayer tank clean out is an important topic to address on your farm. Many farms have done the same clean-out routine for years and not had any issues with contaminating residues in […]

Read More… from Sprayer Cleanout and Cleaner Selection

Airblast Spring Start-up and Winterizing

Any description of airblast sprayer start-up must, contextually, make assumptions on how it was winterized for long-term storage. This cyclic relationship is why I use a chicken-and-egg title slide when giving this presentation. The inability to describe one process without the other is further complicated by the possibility that the sprayer is brand new and was […]

Read More… from Airblast Spring Start-up and Winterizing

Grandpa used pesticides on my property 50 years ago. Should I be concerned about contamination of my well?

Occasionally, I receive a question or concern about impacts from the previous use of pesticides on a property. These concerns could be categorized as historical or legacy concerns from the use of pesticides over 40 or 50 years ago. This article provides some context for these past concerns and some options for follow up for […]

Read More… from Grandpa used pesticides on my property 50 years ago. Should I be concerned about contamination of my well?

Tank mix compatibility

What is Tank Mixing? Tank mixing is the practice of combining multiple registered agricultural products in the sprayer tank for application in a single pass. The Pros of Tank Mixing The Cons of Tank Mixing Tank mixing requires caution and careful investigation. Should tank mix partners prove to be incompatible, the consequences can be subtle […]

Read More… from Tank mix compatibility

Determining an ideal airblast sprayer travel speed using the “Air Displacements” method

The concept of Air Displacements was developed by Dr. David Manktelow, Applied Research and Technologies Ltd. What is the “right” speed to drive when spraying? Airblast sprayer operators must know their average travel speed to calculate how much pesticide and time is required to complete a spray job. Note that it’s an average, not a […]

Read More… from Determining an ideal airblast sprayer travel speed using the “Air Displacements” method