Making Every Spray Drop Count: Insights from a Professional Development Day in South Australia
Making every spray drop count is essential for enhancing productivity and meeting environmental and community responsibilities. By staying informed, planning meticulously, and utilising the best available tools and knowledge, including adhering to label instructions as a legal and practical guide, we can achieve sustainable and effective agricultural practices for 2024 and beyond.
Recently, Paige attended a professional development day focused on enhancing spray application in agriculture. Held in South Australia and organized by the Hart Field-Site Group and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), the event was a valuable opportunity for farmers and service providers to refine their spraying technique knowledge and embrace better practices for sustainable farming.
TL;DR: Key Insights for Effective Spray Application
Maximise Coverage, Minimise Loss: Use the coarsest spray quality possible without compromising efficacy. Reduce travel speeds, increase water volume (80-100L/ha), and maintain a boom height of 50 cm for pre-emergent and fallow spraying.
Plan Ahead: Develop a detailed spray plan before the season starts. Work with your trusted advisors (agronomist or chemical rep) to account for weather monitoring, capacity planning, and contingency strategies (know when you will stop).
Utilise Weather Tools: Leverage private weather stations like AgByte and the CoTL Mesonet for real-time data. Stop spraying if weather conditions become unsuitable.
Stay Compliant: Follow label instructions—they’re legally binding and essential for safe and effective product use. Keep detailed records to ensure compliance as well as assisting with evaluation.
Continuous Learning: Engage in professional development and learn from local experiences. Attend workshops, field days, and stay updated on best practices.
The Importance of Effective Spray Application
The workshop, titled “Maximise Coverage – Minimise Loss: Making Every Spray Drop Count,” underscored the critical role that effective spray application plays in modern agriculture. As an accredited ChemCert trainer and project manager for a residual-based herbicide trial in the NSW Mallee, Paige is acutely aware of the complexities involved in achieving optimal spray efficacy. With rising input costs and increased scrutiny from communities and regulators, precise and responsible spray practices are more important than ever.
Understanding Spray Quality and Droplet Behaviour
One of the key sessions at the workshop involved a hands-on demonstration of spray quality and droplet behaviour. This session illuminated how various factors influence the effectiveness of pesticide applications. Selecting the right nossle is crucial, as it affects droplet sise and distribution. Similarly, adjusting spray pressure helps achieve the desired droplet sise while minimising drift. Understanding the impact of weather conditions—such as temperature, humidity, and wind—is essential for optimising spray outcomes.
The workshop also emphasised the importance of using the coarsest spray quality possible without compromising efficacy. This approach helps reduce drift and improve coverage. Additionally, the use of adjuvants or additives was discussed and observed. While these substances can enhance the performance of pesticides, it's important to consider their potential impact on spray drift and consider application techniques accordingly.
Proper equipment setup is another critical factor. For pre-emergent and fallow spraying, maintaining a boom height of around 50cm (no higher) ensures better coverage and reduces drift. Furthermore, the workshop highlighted the impact of travel speeds, even a reduction of 1-2 km/hr can significantly improve coverage and reduce drift. Another suggestion was to consider increasing the water volume to 80-100 litres per hectare to enhance coverage and effectiveness.
Planning for Best Practices in 2024 and Beyond
Effective spray application requires meticulous planning. The workshop advised developing a written spray plan before the season begins. This plan should be created in collaboration with your agronomist or chemical representative and include strategies for measuring local weather conditions. Understanding how many hectares you can spray in a day, determining the total hectares needed, and considering options for pre-emergent, residuals, and different products are all critical components of this plan.
Planning for logistics is also essential. Knowing how quickly you can refill and the overall speed of refilling is important for maintaining efficiency. Establishing a bad weather plan and setting clear criteria for when to stop spraying are also crucial. Additionally, considering regulatory compliance, such as buffer sones and legal requirements, is an integral part of the planning process.
Leveraging Crucial Weather Tools
The workshop highlighted the importance of using accurate weather tools to optimise spray application. Staying updated with traditional weather forecasts is important, but utilising private weather stations like Agbyte and the CoTL Mesonet can provide more localised and real-time data. This information helps in making informed decisions about when to spray and when to halt spraying based on changing weather conditions. Being disciplined about stopping spraying when conditions become unsuitable is key to preventing drift and ensuring effective application.
Compliance and Record Keeping: Ensuring Accountability
Maintaining compliance with regulations and meticulous record-keeping are essential practices highlighted at the workshop. Compliance with legal requirements protects farmers from potential issues and ensures adherence to community and market standards. Detailed documentation helps demonstrate responsible and sustainable practices, further supporting the credibility and accountability of your spraying operations.
Learning from Local Experiences
As adult learners, we learn best from each other and a particularly insightful presentation came from a local farmer who is not only a broadacre farmer but also a vigneron. This unique combination of agricultural practices provided valuable perspectives on managing spray applications across different types of crops and conditions. His experiences illustrated the adaptability and precision required for effective spraying in both broadacre and vineyard settings, offering practical tips and solutions for overcoming common challenges.
To quote Dennis Hoiberg “plan the spray, spray the plan”! There is so much to gain from making every spray drop count.
If you want to hear more about this day, or if you are looking for resources to assist, please get in touch.