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 »
Category: Sprayers
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 »
Micron Woman and the world of spray droplets
You just finished a great spray day. Your timing and product choice were bang-on, the weather was good, and your sprayer was calibrated. But do you know what happened to the spray once it left the nozzle? The Spray Guys — Jason Deveau and Tom Wolf — find out in this premiere episode of Micron Woman…. Read more »
AGCO eliminates dead-end pipe with C Series Rogator
AGCO has expanded its Rogator lineup, unveiling and exhibiting its C Series this summer at several farm shows, including the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois. The new series features a SmartDrive system, updated cab interior and the new LiquidLogic recirculating plumbing. “With the prevalence of herbicide-resistant weeds throughout the country and the introduction of… Read more »
Case IH presents ‘fastest converting combination applicator’
Case IH’s new Trident 5550 was on display last week at the Farm Progress Show in Illinois. Like something out of Transformers, the 5550 is a combination liquid/dry applicator, and according to the company, the conversion between the two is the fastest in the industry. Unlike last Christmas, when you and three other adults worked… Read more »
SIMPAS takes printer & cartridge concept to the field
Think of your planter as a high-resolution field printer. Instead of multiple colours of ink, it’s dispensing combinations of micronutrients and crop protection products in-furrow. A U.S. company is following the concept of an inkjet printer, with plans to commercialize a system for applying precise amounts as needed at varying rates in each row. SIMPAS,… Read more »
Deere to acquire machine learning leader Blue River Technology
Deere & Company is investing in machine learning for farm equipment, announcing a US$305 million deal to fully acquire Blue River Technology. “We welcome the opportunity to work with a Blue River Technology team that is highly skilled and intensely dedicated to rapidly advancing the implementation of machine learning in agriculture,” said John May, President,… Read more »
Exploding Sprayer Myths: Is more air better for airblast sprayers?
In the year 2017 an indestructible human cyborg sprayer expert is sent from the future to help sprayer operators match airblast sprayer air settings to their crops. As the red smoke clears in the opening scene of the latest episode of Exploding Spray Myths, our cyborg star, OMAFRA’s Jason Deveau, meets human sprayer expert Tom… Read more »