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Spring sprayer prep roundup

Jeff Caldwell 05/11/2012 @ 9:49am Multimedia Editor for Agriculture.com and Successful Farming magazine.

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Once you've got your crops planted, the meanest of the spring rush may be over. But, don't kick back and relax just yet. It's a good time to make sure your sprayer is ready to best distribute its knockout blows to pest problems that may pop up in your crop. Here are a few helpful features to take you through the process of preparing your sprayer, namely in calibrating it so you're getting the most out of the products you're applying.

Get your sprayer in shape

What you're spraying to control pests in your crops may not be as important as how you're putting it down. That makes good sprayer calibration more important than it's ever been, especially considering both pesticide and herbicide costs and ultimately, the price you can fetch when marketing your crop.

 

10 tips for better crop spraying

Spraying pesticides on your fields is one of those jobs where the margin for error is pretty narrow, both in terms of accomplishing the mission and protecting neighboring fields. Mark Hanna, Iowa State University Extension agricultural engineer offers these 10 tips for more effective and safe spraying.

13 smart sprayer tips

No matter what color sprayer you purchase, all manufacturers have the same end goal: Making sure the sprayer is doing the appropriate job to enhance yields and to protect crops. Your goal is to make sure your sprayer is in top condition to tackle the season ahead.

 

Calibration made easy

Sprayer operators have tested the calibration of the nozzles on their sprayers for years by using an effective, but distinctly low-tech method. Each nozzle would be used to spray water into an empty jug while producers timed the process for up to a minute per nozzle with a stopwatch.

 

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