John is spraying some of the replanted soybeans today.  He took Ben along to give him some training on sprayer operation.

Unfolding the boom getting ready to spray…

There they go…

On the next round, you can see the accuracy of the application. They are using ‘autotrac’, section control, ‘boomtrac’ and rate control to precisely apply the exact rate needed for the task.

The sprayer is an amazingly accurate machine.  Using the advances in technology, it guarantees that the herbicide is precisely applied exactly where it is intended to go.  We have economic reasons as well as agronomic and environmental reasons to make sure that the herbicide is applied properly.  It is in our best interests to make sure the application is on-target and in the prescribed amount.  Not too much, not too little….

It is certainly an advance from the old days when you set your spray pressure, and tried to drive a specific speed (which was nearly impossible to be consistent with your speed).  Now the adjustments are automated, and precision is the expectation.

You can view a short (2 min) movie of this operation on our YouTube site.