Protecting your crops from pests balances several factors, from product selection to treatment timing to stewardship. Ultimately, you want to cost-effectively achieve full yield potential. Take time now to evaluate your application methods and equipment.
Market conditions demand a laser-like focus on holding down costs while maximizing returns. Skimping on inputs rarely turns out well. Efficiency is a better option. That’s especially true when it comes to crop protection products. Cutting rates can reduce performance and lead to resistance issues. Overapplication wastes money. Improper application costs you in the short term and in the long run. This handy guide from University of Arkansas Extension can help with both aspects.1 Your state’s land-grant university likely can provide similar, more localized advice. Here are several important considerations:
- Read the label. The product specimen label is the operators manual for the pesticide you’re applying. It guides every aspect of product use, from selecting the right rate for the target pest to mixing instructions to the right personal protective equipment (PPE).
- You can’t know if your application rates are right if you don’t calibrate. Calibrate your spray equipment before you head to the field for the first time each season and anytime you change nozzles or switch between herbicides, insecticides and fungicides. Double-check calibration frequently during the season.
- Manage drift. Your goal should be 100 percent pest control with zero percent spray drift.2 Although you can’t manage weather variables, University of Nebraska specialists recommend spraying only when conditions are not conducive to drift. Manage the variables you can, including nozzle selection and orientation, calibration and sprayer speed, and adhere to label requirements.
Case IH Patriot® series sprayers — accompanied by our Advanced Farming Systems (AFS) technology — can help you more cost-effectively protect your crops on several fronts. First, you’ll find a Patriot sprayer ideally suited to your individual needs, whether it’s the size and capacity to cover large tracts or the power and agility to timely treat rugged or smaller fields.
AFS section and rate control lets you put seed, fertilizer and other inputs where you want them and only where you want them. Reduced overlaps and more-precise placement allow you to save on inputs, improve agronomic performance and lower overall costs, while properly stewarding the land resource. Use AIM Command® to maintain droplet size and spray pressure at a constant application — no matter the field or weather conditions. Or, take advantage of AccuBoom Automatic Boom Section control to automatically turn on and off appropriate boom sections when the sprayer covers an area that has already been applied.
Your Case IH dealer can show you how these features and others can help you fine-tune your crop protection this season. Proper, precise application can be an excellent way to reduce expenses while boosting revenue potential.
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Case IH Sprayer Performance Kit
