There’s something about sprayers that makes them a “farmer magnet,” as Tom Wolf describes them.
Tom and his “Exploding Spray Myths” partner-in-crime from OMAFRA, Jason Deveau, stopped by the RealAg studio at FarmTech to chat about what it is about pipes and pumps and nozzles that had farmers rappelling in from the ceiling (apparently) to get a look at the “World’s Largest Indoor Demonstration Sprayer.”
Turns out it’s not just the shiny paint and big wheels on these machines.
“Let’s face it. The sprayer is the most used piece of equipment. A lot of material, a lot of money is applied with it. It almost competes with a seeder now in terms of money through it,” explains Tom. “And its performance is critical.”
In addition to hosting Spray Tips and Exploding Spray Myths on RealAgriculture, Wolf and Deveau have launched Sprayers101 and are frequent speakers at farm events across the country. People are as interested in spraying as they’ve ever been.
“It’s not waning. We kind of thought we might saturate the system because we do make an effort to be everywhere,” says Tom.
It doesn’t hurt that world of spray technology is continually changing and is incredibly diverse, involving weather, chemistry, physics, safety and public awareness.
“I love how much it changes. There’s always something new to learn, always something new you can squeeze out of the system,” notes Jason.
And it will continue changing, as sensors, variable rate and other technologies, enable more precise application.
“We’re still kind of relying in spraying on the serendipity, the pure luck, of the droplet hitting the target that we intend it to hit. We release it through the nozzle and we’ve lost control,” says Tom.
Enjoy Tom and Jason’s chat with RealAg’s Shaun Haney:
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | All Podcasts
Please register to read and comment.