Optical sensors for selective weed control aren’t new, but the technology has come a long way in recent years. A new offering, the WEEDIt system, caught farmers’ attention at the recent CanolaPalooza field day event held at Lacombe, Alberta. To explain how the WEEDIt works, we caught up with Tom Wolf, with AgriMetrix. “It’s an… Read more »
Category: Sprayers
MixMate designed to cut sprayer loading times and mistakes by automating chemical blending
Fast loading times are critical for maximizing sprayer efficiency, but mistakes are also more likely to happen when loading in a hurry. An Iowa-based company, Praxidyn, has designed a portable, modular system to shorten the time it takes to blend chemicals and refill the sprayer, while also reducing the chances of errors by automating the… Read more »
Spraying a pesticide with a drone is still not allowed in Canada
The idea of spraying with drones has gained interest as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become more common in farming over the past few years. In concept, UAV sprayers could identify and target weeds, and then apply herbicide autonomously in specific areas of a field. The technology for spraying with a drone is available and… Read more »
Pattison debuts 120-foot prototype for autonomous spraying
Field testing is slated to begin this week on a prototype 120-foot sprayer designed to be loaded onto the DOT field robot for autonomous spraying. Pattison Liquid Systems — based at Lemberg, Saskatchewan — showcased its Connect PLU (Pattison Liquid Unmanned) S120 sprayer at Canada’s Farm Progress Show in Regina last week. It’s the first… Read more »
Corn School: Will drone sprayers fit your farm?
Is the clock ticking on the future of your ground sprayer? Could it eventually be replaced by a swarm of UAV sprayers that could better target weeds and deliver herbicide to exact locations in the field? These are questions we explore with AGRIS Co-operative agronomist Dale Cowan on this episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School. Cowan recently… Read more »
Wheat School: Which is the best streamer nozzle?
What’s the best choice of streamer nozzle? It’s a question RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson is asked countless times every year. Well, here’s the answer. In this episode of the RealAgriculture Wheat School, WheatPete puts on his suit and gloves and heads to the field to show us how three-stream, five-stream and seven-stream nozzles compare. He also… Read more »
Soybean School: Mind your fencerows to reduce weed resistance
Are we doing enough to reduce the herbicide-resistance weed seedbank on Ontario farms? That’s a question AGRIS Co-operative agronomist Dale Cowan wants farmers in the province to consider when they’re planning their weed control programs for this year. Cowan recently attended the Commodity Classic in Anaheim, California, where he talked with farmers from Mississippi who… Read more »
TechTour: Compensating for sprayer boom sway right down to each nozzle
When spraying it’s inevitable that there will be some swaying along the boom, where parts of the boom move faster or slower relative to other parts, resulting in uneven application rates. German agricultural machinery company Amazone, together with Dutch spraying company Rometron, have developed a precision spray application system that compensates for changes in horizontal… Read more »
Bayer Digital Farming introduces prescription maps for fungicide in canola
Fungicide can be added to the list of crop inputs farmers can selectively apply using precision agriculture tools, targeting relevant areas within a field while avoiding patches where treatment isn’t justified. Bayer Digital Farming launched Zone Spray on Friday. It’s a program within the company’s Field Manager platform that creates prescription maps for fungicide in… Read more »
Deere to buy carbon fibre boom supplier
Deere & Company says it has signed a deal to buy the company that makes carbon fibre booms for John Deere sprayers. The agreement will see Deere acquire King Agro, a privately-held manufacturer of carbon fibre products with headquarters in Valencia, Spain and a production facility in Campana, Argentina. Deere and King Agro agreed to… Read more »
TechTour: A quantum leap in weed control
Bayer and Bosch are working together on a three-year research collaboration to develop a precise spraying technology that will minimize herbicide use, while also mitigating against resistance development. The technology, called Smart Spraying, will see camera sensors identifying weeds, and precise herbicide application targeting them on a single pass, within a fraction of a second. According… Read more »
Saskatchewan company turns mower into zero-turn sprayer
Anyone who has upgraded from an old school ride-on lawn tractor to a zero-turn mower likely remembers the first few times they sat in the seat. It’s an innovation that has made landscaping more efficient, and for many, more fun. And now, Tide Industries is offering an implement that will give operators another use for… Read more »
From sprayer to spreader in 60 seconds — Stara’s Imperador 3.0
According to Stara, there is nothing in the world like its Imperador 3.0, a self-propelled machine with both sprayer booms and a spreader. The machine features a MWM 205 horsepower Turbo engine a load sensing hydraulic pump. The polyethylene spray tank has a 2,400 litre capacity, and the spreader, with a 3 cubic metres capacity… Read more »
Soybean School: Ontario growers better positioned to manage dicamba
In 2017, many U.S. growers struggled to manage dicamba use with increasing acres of dicamba-tolerant Xtend soybeans. The dicamba story in Ontario, however, was much different, as growers had few issues with managing the marriage of the herbicide and the new trait. In this edition of RealAgriculture Soybean School, OMAFRA weed specialist Mike Cowbrough explains… Read more »
Dutch spraying drone applies up to 250 litres per flight
With the ability to lift up to 300 kilograms into the air, the Drones4Agro quadcopter drone on display in the Multi Tool Trac exhibit at Agritechnica was much larger than the average drone we see on farms today. But with that payload, it can also carry much more than the small camera that most drones… Read more »