Meet the FSOOTY final three - Phil Knight
First time finalist, Phil Knight is the main sprayer operator for Velcourt Fonthill Contracting, operating on six farms covering 3,300ha over the rolling chalk lands of Wiltshire.
Working in a 12 mile radius of his base at Berwick St Leonard, he is responsible for treating a wide range of crops include winter wheat, winter and spring barley, oilseed rape, oats, cereal poppies as well as forage and grain maize.
Philip entered FSOOTY because he thought why not? “I am proud of what we do here, but it is nice to be judged by others and get input on where I could improve,” he says.
He operates an 8,000-litre Horsch Leeb PT 8.300 equipped with 36m wide boom with BoomControlPro, 25cm nozzle spacings and 3m sections with AutoSelect nozzle switching. The operation also has a trailed 8,000-litre Leeb, which is usually operated by the middle-year student, to help out mainly on fungicides.
On the 1,500ha Fonthill Estate he no longer applies any insecticide due its strategy to protect and increase the numbers of grey partridge and other wild birds. This means he switches to LERAP 3* nozzles to reduce drift around numerous beetle banks, conservation strips, wild bird food and stewardship areas. He also cannot spray this land at night.
“While the Fonthill Estate has fantastic facilities, with filling undercover in a bunded store, I do also fill-up at other locations where I use drip trays to ensure safe filling. I usually apply 100 litre/ha, work in blocks and fill to use only full containers, which eliminates measuring and is faster and safer,” he says. He also has access to a water bowser with chemical storage.
A quad cluster at 50cm and a double at 25cm spacings, provides Phil with the opportunity to use some interesting nozzle options and combinations. For most fungicides and growth regulators he uses a GuardianAir Twin (2 x 02s) at 25cm and a standard version at 50cm.
“Also, when I am hunting blackgrass, this gives me three great angles for great control and OSR canopy penetration. To prevent blockages, I use 120 mesh in-line filters. If there’s a problem I change to 0.25s and a larger filter, for example for the BFS Bubblejets I use when I need to cut drift,” he explains.
FARM FACTS
Business: Velcourt Fonthill Contracting, Berwick St Leonard, Wilts
Cropping: 3,000ha of combinable crops
Sprayer: 8,000-litre, 36m Horsch Leeb PT 8.300
