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Results from recent trials of a spot sprayer developed by Colin Taylor, a young Scottish engineer, show chemical savings of 77% and savings of £46.50/ha, compared with a conventional treatment across the whole area.

The idea to first develop the spot sprayer came from a discussion with a neighbour about the high cost and waste involved in spraying dock weeds in grassland. Indeed, his recent trials showed the weeds accounted for just 19% of the ground cover.

As well as reducing chemical use and costs, spot spraying also increases grass yields, because it is not sprayed and does not have the weeds to compete against it. Moreover, any clover, which is particularly sensitive to the herbicides, is not killed and therefore doesn’t need to be reseeded.

Colin developed the system in his own time using personal savings, without any outside investment. Called the RUMEX system, it employs a combination of computer vision cameras, artificial intelligence software and individual nozzle control.

His computer vision system takes up to 30 pictures every second, which are analysed by the AI software – basically this checks whether it is seeing a weed or not a weed. “We needed the software to be able to recognise docks; and this involved training it using 20,000 different images of docks and grass.

His prototype is fitted to a Hardi 12m wide, 600 litre sprayer, for which he has developed his own electronic control system for the solenoid-operated, individual nozzle control. He fits Hypro E80-30 nozzles because with the 80° fan angle these do not require an overlap to apply a full dose.

With the current 30 frames/sec vision system it allows the sprayer to work comfortably at about6-8km/h, spotting and treating the docks in the field.

“I appreciate that is about half the speed of a conventional sprayer, but it’s producing enormous savings. A normal treatment of 2 litres/active/ha will cost about £70/ha. But if you look a grass field the docks will account for just a percentage of ground cover,” he explains.

Trials show 77% savings

Trials, carried out by Colin this spring on a dairy farm near Lanark in Scotland, confirm is original projections, producing a chemical saving of 77%, compared with a conventional treatment:

Spot treatment application data
Area treated	44.6ha
Chemical used	20.2 litres
Equivalent conventional rate	0.45 litre/ha
Spot treatment chemical saving	77%
Average weed cover	19%

Chemical cost savings

As well as the considerable saving in costs from using less chemical, Colin adds there will be a financial benefit from not killing the clover or stunting the grass growth with the selective herbicide. There is also a huge environmental benefit from simply reducing the amount of chemical being applied.

Spot treatment chemical savings (Forefront T @ £30/litre)
Chemical/Application rate: 2 litres active/200 litres water
	Application rate	Cost/litre	Cost/ha
Conventional application	2 litre/ha	£30/litre	£60/ha
Spot treatment	0.45 litre/ha	£30/litre	£13.50/ha
Savings	1.55 litres/ha	£30/litre	£46.50/ha (77%)

A 14,000-hour working classic is helping to keep a lid on depreciation for a Shropshire grower, who favours a 25-year old Fendt tool carrier and Knight Laser sprayer to carry out all applications. Geoff Ashcroft reports.

When Rob Kennerley invested in the very latest Knight sprayer technology in 1995, little did he know it would still be serving him well more than 25 years later.

The mounted 24m, 1,100 litre Laser sprayer was then paired with a 1000-litre front tank, and for the first half of its working life, was used on a Ford 7810. At the time, the sprayer was considered cutting edge, being equipped with an AirJet system integrated into its triplet nozzle bodies.

Created by TeeJet, the AirJet system was referred to as a ‘twin fluid’ nozzle, engineered to offer low volume spraying at a time when 200 litres/ha was the norm. Its use was said to enable operators to halve the water volume to 100 litres/ha, delivering a revolutionary step forward in productivity a quarter of a Century ago.

While Knight still offers the AirJet system on request, advances in nozzle technology have since largely overtaken the need for this innovative system.

More spray days

“AirJet really appealed to me as a system that could extend spraying windows through air-filled droplets,” says Rob. “With any application, it’s important to do the best you can, to get the best impact from all applications.”

Rob carries out all spray and liquid fertiliser applications at the family-run 160ha Oaklands Farm at Bagley, Shropshire, where he farms with sons Oliver and Rory. Crops grown include hybrid rye, maize, energy beet and cover crop mixes – the latter ensuring the farm maintains soil biology, keeping a cover on soils at all times.

“I guess that with an average of 10-12 applications/year, the Knight sprayer has done over 100,000 acres so far. And it’s likely to be in use for many years to come. After all, in its simplest form, a sprayer is only a tank, pump and boom,” he adds.

While the sprayer is still in regular use, the Ford tractor was moved onto gentler duties about ten years ago, though its replacement wasn’t just another conventional tractor. The farm wanted more output from its applications, and rather than re-invest in another sprayer at considerable cost, the family explored the option of using a tool carrier.

Choosing a tool carrier would give a generous load-carrying platform on the front of the chassis, providing room for a large front tank. It was a thought process that eventually resulted in the purchase of a Fendt 395GT.

It was a decision influenced by son Oliver’s time spent working at Farmers Weekly’s once venerable Easton Lodge Farm, where he experienced the practicalities of a Fendt tool carrier.

“We wanted more output, and it just made financial sense to find a way to go bigger with the front tank, rather than start again and buy a new sprayer,” explains Oliver. “So we took our time and located the tool carrier. Then all we had to do was find a larger capacity tank to put on the front chassis.”

Tool carrier tractor

In the early 1990s, Fendt’s tool carrier was to prove a radical departure from conventional tractor designs – but a concept rarely been seen this side of the English Channel. Popular in Germany, its seven-model range was headed up by the 395GT, in a line-up that spanned 45hp-115hp.

Engines and transmissions are located beneath the cab, requiring the cab to be tilted for maintenance. This creates a low centre of gravity, and for the 395GT, a weight distribution of 70% rear, 30% front.

This 1995-model 395GT bought by the Kennerleys about ten years ago, has now clocked over 14,000 hours, and has required only a clutch during the family’s ownership, delivering on depreciation and running costs. Some would consider the Fendt tool carrier to be an appreciating classic.

System tractor sprayer

The Fendt is used exclusively for sprays and fertiliser applications at Oaklands Farm, and is considered as productive as a small self-propelled, but at a fraction of the cost. With help from Central Crop Sprayers at Whitchurch, they found a GEM 2,100-litre front tank, which boosts capacity by a further 1,100 litres, up to a total of 3,200 litres. “This means we can now cover 32ha on a fill, working at 100 litres/ha. With liquid fertiliser, our rates vary from 150-350 litres, depending on the crop, though we’ve had to give the fuel pump a tweak to help on slopes with the extra weight,” says Rob.

Installing the front tank has seen the farm run through a few in-field developments, to get the combination to work more efficiently.

“The front tank agitation wasn’t very good so, with the help of Central Crop Sprayers’ Andy Parry, we’ve also run a pipe up over the top of the tank to install a second agitation outlet. A flow restrictor was needed at the first outlet, to push liquid up to the top of the tank. And it works extremely well,” he explains.

Further improvements

Other improvements include a change of drive for the front tank’s transfer pump. Previously a hydraulically driven unit, the system now operates from the front PTO, and has been installed on a plate using Land Rover engine mounts to reduce vibration.

“This 395GT has only three spools, and two are on a joystick which I use for boom height and boom levelling, with the third used for boom folding. I had to stop and divert hydraulic flow, to transfer liquid, which was an inconvenience,” he explains.

Rob now has the ability to move liquid on demand, using the front PTO. “It’s handy if you’re using two separate mixes through the rear induction hopper, or if you just want to adjust the balance of the tractor on slopes. It’s also helpful having all that weight on the front axle. Traction is incredible,” he says.

Easier operation

To make operation more convenient, Rob has mounted a rear-view camera on the top of the boom’s mast that connects to the TeeJet Matrix screen. He has also mounted support brackets onto the cab roof, to carry the boom when folded, to take the weight off both sides, when travelling on the road.

The tractor’s low ground pressure boots are 600/55 R26.5 up front, and 28.1 R26 on the rear. A set of row crops do get fitted, but are spaced to create a track width of around 2.3m, allowing the tractor to straddle four 750mm rows in beet and maize.

Rob’s nozzle choices are straight-forward, and are spun on their holders to suit. In addition to the AirJet nozzle, he carries a 200 litre/ha nozzle and a fertiliser nozzle. Spraying speeds are 11.5km/h, and in a nod to modern technology, the sprayer has been upgraded with an RDS Delta 34i rate controller and a TeeJet Matrix Pro for steering guidance when applying on cover crops or stubbles.

“It might seem to many like a very basic and straightforward system compared with today’s high-tech solutions, but it still applies accurately to the rates on our recommendation sheets, and it passes its NSTS test,” he says. “I can’t see the benefit in spending a six-figure sum on a spraying outfit, when this provides all the output, accuracy and spray quality that I require.”

Bridging the gap between office and sprayer, one Cambridgeshire operator has fully embraced top technology and telemetry to make the most of paperless operations as well as measure and maximise machine utilisation. Geoff Ashcroft reports.

In management terms, it has long been accepted that if you can measure it, you can manage it.

For Tim Clifton, assistant manager and sprayer operator at the Sentry-managed Chivers Farms, Hardwick, Cambridgeshire, using cloud-based MyJohnDeere (MJD) to host machine telemetry data harnessed through JDLink, has put a whole new level of utilisation at his fingertips.

“The information we get back from our tractor and sprayer, for application maps and operating data is staggering,” says Tim. “From machine location, fuel use, idling times, and start and stop times in every field for example, it really does provide a layer of automated traceability that brings benefits to the business.”

Every four months, local dealer Ben Burgess provides utilisation reports, which highlight running costs, including a monetary value for fuel wasted by idling engines.

“In 18 months, the sprayer has clocked up 1,100 hours, applying 1.8 million litres of liquid to 11,000ha,” he says. “Tractor idling time is an eye-opener too, and is something that we would hope could be addressed with start-stop technology.”

Being able to measure every aspect of tractor and sprayer data is helping to improve efficiency across the 950ha Northfield Farm operation, which stretches out over a 10-mile radius and straddles the A14 and M11 motorway.

Managing logistics

“Logistical challenges have become better managed, and all our sprays and fertiliser applications are now as seamless, accurate and as efficient as possible,” he says. “Data helps to improve the way we farm, and it has highlighted that our overlaps for example, are just 1%, for a 36m boom with 3m sections.”

All of which has been made more manageable through telemetry using JDLink, with data accessed through the web-based application MyJohnDeere (MJD), which carries all field data and boundary maps too.

“It has become easier to see where time is won or lost, and where we can make improvements,” he adds. “Having instant remote access to data means no more trips back to the office for USB sticks, or to create or analyse job reports.

“Jobs can be copied from Gatekeeper onto MJD, then sent direct to the tractor, or I can create them in the cab from recommendation sheets via email using my smart phone or tablet, and load them straight into the sprayer,” he says.

“It’s easy and immediate. And when I leave a field, all the application data is automatically put on the cloud for all the team to see. They can also be downloaded into Gatekeeper – I don’t have to remember to close the job, it does the lot for me.”

The route to enhanced efficiency came when the farm swapped a self-propelled John Deere 5430i for a trailed R962i and 6175R, in late 2019, to suit its 36m tramline system, which integrates into a 9m controlled traffic farming regime.

“We were looking for better utilisation and by changing to a trailed sprayer, we increased tank size by over 50% and gained a power unit that could be used for other work, when not spraying,” he adds. “In our first year with the tractor, we clocked up over 1,400hr – more than we would ever do with the self-propelled, which shows the versatility of having the tractor available for other work.”

Improved compatibility

The farm had already been trying out MJD with its self-propelled sprayer, but having a Trimble-equipped Quadtrac meant incompatibility issues were never far away.

“Moving field maps and boundaries between Greenstar and Trimble – through Gatekeeper – was complex, and we could frequently see boundaries move. And that’s not what you need when you’re trying to stick to a fixed CTF regime.

“It became simpler to re-run the sprayer around every headland to re-record the boundaries after cultivations and drilling, but since then, we’ve had a GreenStar-based steering system fitted to the Quadtrac. At least the boundaries don’t move around now,” Tim explains.

The 6175R tractor has had an almost accidental impact on future-proofing precision farming tasks at Chivers Farms.

“I really wanted the LED light package on the tractor, but as an add-on, the cost was considerable,” says Tim. “It was more cost-effective to choose the Ultimate Edition tractor to get the LED lights, as it also brought extra specification.”

Part of that extra spec was a full unlock of JD licence codes, eliminating the need to pay for extra access as equipment technology evolves. “We’ve future-proofed our precision farming technology buying the tractor this way, and every tractor we buy from now on, will be an Ultimate Edition,” he says. “And with variable rate fertiliser applications, and Twin Select nozzle control, we need access to licences.”

Ultimate specification

The cab of his 6175R Ultimate Edition carries a 4600 terminal on the Command Pro armrest, which he uses for the sprayer terminal; an extended monitor – a second 4600 terminal – used for field maps. Tim also carries a tablet, giving access to Gatekeeper.

“I’ve been pushing for the technology, because I can see how it can make my job much easier, and more efficient. Though it’s been a steep learning curve, and I’ve created some laminated in-cab crib sheets to make it easier to refresh and pick up knowledge,” he adds.

He also has high praise for the 6175R’s Command Pro joystick, which offers different user profiles to be saved, to suit individual preferences between himself and manager Alister Farr.

“This joystick makes the tractor as easy to operate as a self-propelled sprayer. We probably would not have bought a trailed sprayer if it wasn’t for the simplicity of Command Pro, and I really didn’t want two joysticks in the cab.

“With Remote Display Access, I can link into the terminal from my smart phone, should Alister be out spraying and need any help with advanced functionality,” he adds.

Sprayer-mounted receiver

When it comes to satellite technology, the spraying outfit runs with two Starfire 6000 receivers. In addition to the cab-roof mounted unit, a second receiver sits on the sprayer, directly above the axle.

“There’s no provision for entering a steering axle into the control box, so when we were turning back on ourselves from an angled headland, it was possible to miss a triangular area as the sprayer straightened up behind the tractor,” he says. “The receiver only really knew where the tractor was, and it had to make an assumption about sprayer position.”

“Adding a second receiver has cured this issue, because the GPS now knows exactly where the sprayer is, in relation to the tractor, which is particularly valuable when making a sharp turn off a headland tramline.

Mega draining rack

To help with the tedious process of can rinsing, Tim has built an industrial-sized can draining structure, which runs any washings back onto the bunded filling area, for safe dispersal.

“With a larger spray tank, there’s more cans to clean and drain, and that means you could easily run out of standing space for chemical containers. So I built one that’s 3m long,” he says.

The bunded filling area at Northfield Farm contains a sediment trap and pump, with any liquid contained and dispersed through a bio-bed.

With RTK guidance, the farm makes the most of its CTF regime, and means the tractor’s rear axle and sprayer axle ride on 650/85 R38 rear tyres. Tractor tyre pressures are 9psi up front, 12psi at the rear, with the sprayer running at just 14psi.

             

                            

Matt Fuller soaks up knowledge like a sponge absorbs water. In the four years he has been sprayer operator at Heathcote Farms, Toddington, Bedfordshire, the enthusiastic youngster has achieved his BASIS qualification as well as being crowned 2020 FSOOTY champion.

“The competition was mentioned to me, and I saw it as a learning opportunity,” explains Matt. “When I got through to the final six, I thought it was fantastic for a first attempt.”

“And like many who enter FSOOTY, I just wanted to test myself and see what I could learn from other operators,” he says. “When I saw the calibre of other operators I was up against, I never expected to win and so I was fairly relaxed going into the final rounds.

“But I’m really pleased that I took the trouble to enter, and it’s opened my eyes to another level of professionalism. The top tips in this industry are just awesome and everybody gains.”

BASIS qualified

Clearly one who enjoys raising the bar, Matt works closely with farm manager Andrew Robinson, with both taking part in crop walking across the farm.

Having recently completed his BASIS qualification, Matt says it helps him and Andrew to bounce crop health scenarios off each other, so the business gets the most from its agronomy services.

Heathcote Farm grows 1,150ha of combinable crops, with soil types ranging from heavy clays to green sand. Without the luxury of land being ring-fenced, road travel is an essential part of the farm’s activities, though block-cropping simplifies logistics when making the eight-mile journey north to outlying areas.

As a long-standing Bateman customer, Heathcote Farms was the first to adopt the Devon maker’s option of the Capstan PinPoint PWM system with its 2018-model RB35. Bought to replace a five-year old, 6,000-hour RB35, the new model retains a 4,000-litre tank and 32m wide boom, but came with larger wheel and tyre equipment.

PWM pays for itself

The decision to invest in PWM was straightforward enough, and despite the high capital outlay, the farm believes it will pay for itself in less than five years through a 1-2% reduction in the area sprayed, simply by cutting overlaps.

“PWM has improved the accuracy of spray deposition enormously. I have used water soluble paper to assess droplet size and coverage from various nozzles and settings, when applying through curves.

Pre-setting PWM

Matt has four different pre-sets in the PWM system for each nozzle, and one in particular has been assigned to boost application rate by 20% for only those nozzles that sit over the tramlines.

“I also have another boost set for the outer 4m boom section, to help control any weeds encroaching from the headland. I’m still learning and understanding the system’s capabilities and its limitations, and the best way to do that is to make a change, then assess and record the effect,” he explains.

Keeping sprayer performance and productivity at an optimum level calls for a thoughtful approach to mixing and filling.

Field sizes range from 5ha-40ha, and typically he uses water rates from 100-150 litres/ha, with 200 litres adopted for pre-emergence sprays. Access to water storage at different sites improves logistics. Matt operates mostly alone and endeavours to be as self-contained as possible. This improves overall output and spraying efficiency, while avoiding as much downtime as possible by not needing to return to base.

Mix and fill trailer

The key to this is the use of a spray trailer, towed behind a 4×4. It contains everything needed for a day’s spraying and comprises three lockable cabinets. Two are used for active ingredient storage, with different pesticides stored on either the left- or right-hand side, with access available from both sides of the trailer to improve ingredient selection.

The third cabinet carries a spill kit, apron, face shield, a selection of jugs, an assortment of lid spanners and pens, plus petrol for running the transfer pump, along with an emergency supply of diesel.

He also carries a drip tray to deploy beneath the overflow pipe, but with the introduction of electric spray valves, Matt can set the fill volume 10-litres shy of the required volume to reduce the risk of an overflow.

At the back of the trailer, a white board lists the ingredients, the rate and the amount of liquid required per load. This is fixed by the mixing bowl, which includes a can wash for triple-rinsing and means Matt doesn’t need to use the sprayer’s induction hopper.

Opened smaller, 1-litre containers of concentrated pesticides are placed in an old milk crate prior to being poured. This reduces the risk of accidentally knocking one over, when the lids have been removed.

The trailer also has room for an IBC carrying trace elements, and a second IBC with mesh floor guard is used for washed and rinsed can storage. This has the ability to be drained back at the farm, with any liquid residue processed through the farm’s bio-filter.

Foils and lids are transferred into a plastic bag, which is securely held inside a make-shift dustbin, ready for disposal. A further addition is the installation of a 150-litre tank on top of the spray trailer, carrying a water conditioner, to help improve the efficacy of herbicides and avoid lock-up.

Organised store

The spray store is approached with similar logic and leaves nothing to chance. Racking is clearly labelled, and a large display board offers a detailed analysis of stock. Emergency numbers, farm maps, manufacturer contacts along with Matt’s qualifications and various certificates all illustrate his methodical approach.

But for all the processes and technology at Matt’s fingertips, the farm is still a believer in traditional paper records for its spray applications.

“We don’t have a solid mobile phone signal everywhere across the areas we farm, so I choose to cross-check paper records against my wipe-board in the spray store,” he says.

“With recommendation sheets organised in a folder that’s kept in the sprayer cab, jobs are unlikely to get missed – paperwork from completed fields gets moved into a different section in my folder, so I can work methodically with applications.”

More top tips…

Producing vegetables for the supermarket supply chain, Borders grower Drysdales manages an intensive crop production regime spread over a 60-mile radius, with the help of two 4,000-litre self-propelled sprayers. Geoff Ashcroft went to find out more.

As one of two sprayer operators working for Borders-based vegetable producer Drysdales, head sprayer operator Danny Milazzo spends his days applying sprays across 750ha of vegetable crops, which comprise 470ha of sprouts, 235ha of swedes and 45ha of leeks.

With land rented solely for crop production, it means the working radius extends to around 60 miles from the farm’s base at Old Cambus Quarry, Cockburnspath.

“I can spend up to two hours on the longest journeys to reach some of the furthest blocks of land we farm,” explains Danny. “It makes logistics and planning all the more important if we’re to maintain output, timeliness and crop quality.”

Logistics received a useful shot in the arm for the 2020 season, with the implementation of a bowser, which Danny reckons has brought a 30% improvement in productivity. With hook-lift demount bodies used for crop transport with tractor and trailer systems, it made sense to create a bowser that could be moved from farm to farm using the hook-lift system.

Bowser back-up

“Having a 10,000-litre bowser that can be easily moved between farms means 2.5 fills without having to travel very far for water,” he says. “And, because we rent land from many different land owners, there’s no guarantee we can always access high volumes of water if crops are being irrigated.

“It’s more convenient to have your own water supply, and then tow lockable chemical trailers behind the sprayers from farm to farm. In addition to a pump and hoses, the bowser platform has space for a couple of 1,000-litre IBC’s,” he explains.

High water rates

With typical water rates of over 300 litres/ha, headline output figures often gloss over the impact of logistics and a 50km/h road speed.

“Our lowest rate is 200 litres/ha, and we’ve found that water volumes and nozzle choices do hold the key to our success when creating a premium product for our supermarket customers,” he says.

Hard-working Bargam

Currently, Danny spends his days in the cab of a three-year old, 24m/4,350-litre Bargam Grimpeur self-propelled sprayer. With 4,500 hours and 18,000ha under its belt, the Grimpeur is one of two self-propelled sprayers in use at Drysdales – the second is a nine-year old, 10,000-hour Multidrive, which is currently in use as the back-up sprayer.

“We’re in the process of revising our spraying systems, to improve what we do, and how we do it,” he explains. “And part of that process will be to replace our sprayers more frequently, so we can benefit from the very latest in application technology without compromising on reliability.”

With the Bargam operating as the frontline sprayer, it clocks up about  1,500hr each season, with the machine spending most of its time among sprouts. The older Multidrive takes care of the swede crop during peak periods, though it’s hardly enjoying an easy life – this older machine is still clocking up 800 hours/year, which is probably more hours each year than some frontline self-propelled sprayers will cover on arable duties.

Intense workload

The intense spraying workload does not include fertiliser applications – these are handled by a twin disc spreader, applying granular and prilled products.

“We’d like to create a more defined replacement policy for our sprayers, so that the frontline machine runs for two-and-a-half years, and then spends the same period in use as a back-up machine,” he explains.

“Our immediate goal is to replace the Multidrive with a new self-propelled model, and relegate the Bargam to being a back-up machine,” he adds. “This way, we can control our costs, and avoid nasty surprises from unexpected repair bills.”

As part of the replacement policy, the farm is looking to increase boom size too, going up from 24m to 36m.

“Going wider will mean less crop damage,” he says. “And because of transplanting and harvesting machinery, the planted rows do not allow wider spacing for wheelings. So we currently have to tolerate a small proportion of crop damage each time the sprayer runs through. Moving up to a 36m boom will considerably reduce that impact.”

Sprayer shortlist

Danny has gone to the trouble of sitting in his fair share of cabs this summer, making the most of sprayer demonstrations to create a short-list for the future.

“I’d be perfectly happy to stick with another Bargam, but we can’t have one on a lease deal. Aside from a few early issues and a couple of hub seals, it’s proved to be a pretty good machine. The 230hp FPT engine is gutsy, and the combination of hydrostatic motor driving mechanical axles has been good. It’s also not heavy on fuel.

“But I would like a little more technology and much better boom ride and stability than I currently have,” he adds.

Integral jacks

He likes the Bargam’s integrated hydraulic jacking system that simplifies wheel changes, and has high praise for the in-cab Müller control system.

“My 520 ‘fat’ tyres are not on for long – usually only long enough to run on top of ploughing. It’s 380/90 R46 row crops from there on, and a full set of Michelins have recently replaced the original tyres which have lasted over 4,000 hours,” he says.

“The worn-down cleats were struggling for traction in wetter conditions, but we’ll probably put them back on for dry conditions next spring.”

He says that the wheels have been recently repainted because of the conditions the sprayer works in. “Sprouts are abrasive, and they can soon strip paint off the edges of the wheel rims.”

For its age and hours, the Bargam Grimpeur looks as good as new, thanks in no part to Danny being a keen advocate of cleaning products, and taking pride in his ride. And the addition of a snow-foam lance that can be used with the sprayer’s on-board pressure washer also helps with cleanliness and hygiene when the field gate is closed.

“I’m not prepared to sit in a dirty cab, or wallow in a mucky environment,” he says. “It doesn’t take long to keep the sprayer looking good.”

It is a mindset that also translates into spray tank and nozzle cleanliness too – with frequent in-field wash-outs taking place.

“I’ve never had a blocked nozzle with this sprayer, and I put that down to regular and thorough wash-outs,” he explains.