Swedish ways with sprays…
Painstaking methods pay
The 1999 Farm Sprayer
Operator of the Year is
Patrick Saynor, from Tarrant
Rushton, Dorset. His wide
knowledge of spraying
principles and sensible
approach to applications in
practice earned him top
marks and the winners trip
to Sweden.
Andrew Swallow reports
PATRICK Saynor is the winner of the 1999 Farm Sprayer Operator of the Year competition. Spraying 480ha (1200 acres) of combinable crops on JM & RH Hardings Preston Farm, near Blandford Forum, Dorset, his meticulous methods took the honours in the national competition.
"The whole handling system, from the store through to the empties, was what impressed me," says Tom Robinson, Novartis applications specialist and a competition
judge. "He has thought the whole thing through from start to finish."
Risk to Mr Saynor, the crops he sprays, the public, and the environment is minimised, while making sure applications are as efficient as possible. A key part of his system is a 5000 litre bowser which supports the farms 18m trailed Knight sprayer.
Lockers for full and empty containers are mounted on the back of the bowser, alongside a Packman handling system. That copes with all but the smallest containers, which are emptied into the Packman by way of a Martin Lishman chemical transfer system on the back of the Packman.
An old model is cannibalised for parts, and until closed transfer systems are standardised, it is unlikely to be replaced, says Mr Saynor. "Everything goes through the Packman. We havent found anything to beat it yet."
Signs warning walkers of recent spraying activities are also carried on the bowser. "We put the signs out on a post and collect them the next day. But if I see someone walking a dog when Im spraying I suggest they put it on a lead. They dont seem to realise the dog will run through the wet crop and then lick it all off when they get home."
The Knight is fitted with triple nozzle holders making switches between a range of flat-fan and Billericay bubblejet nozzles simple. "Were still experimenting with the bubblejets. They do cut drift but the spray is too coarse for some applications," he comments. Application volumes are being reduced to increase work-rates.
A blob-marker kit has been fitted for grassland and pre-emergence work, and Mr Saynor would like to get the Laser Agitation recirculation system added to the four-year-old Knight.
Swedish ways with sprays…
BIOBEDS, sprayer testing, and a farm visit were on the spraying smorgasbord menu, which started at the Swedish University of Agriculture at Uppsala, west of Stockholm.
Here researchers demonstrated the Slapduk, a novel device which allows the sprayer boom to float over the crop surface. Spring-mounted crop tilter boards open the crop ahead of the backward facing nozzles, which are held closer to the crop and at a narrower spacing to reduce drift and improve spray penetration.
Twelve Slapduk units are in commercial use in Sweden, but Mr Saynor questioned how suitable it would be back in Dorset. "I dont know how it would stand-up to our hills, or an 18m boom."
Then it was on to Hacksta Gard, a 500ha (1200-acre) farm nearby, where winter wheat yields are typically 6.4 t/ha (2.6t/acre) with only one fungicide application. In common with 1200 other Swedish growers, farmer Olle Hakelius has built a Biobed in the yard to cut point source contamination of water with pesticides.
The 12m long, 1m (3ft) deep, pit is filled with a 25% soil, 25% peat, 50% straw mix. Metal tracks supported on pillars provide a runway for the sprayer, and grass in between helps remove moisture and highlight spillages. "It took us about twelve hours to build," says manager Jarl Ryberg.
Impressed by how simple and cheap the contruction was, Mr Saynor thought the technique could transfer to UK farms. "But wed need to build one away from the yard or wed spend all day travelling back to fill up."
On a visit to a farm sprayer tester Mr Saynor saw a typical Swedish rig put through the compulsory independent test, something which would be no bad thing in the UK, he believes. "But until it is a legal requirement a lot of people wont have their sprayer checked because they dont want to be told how bad their machines are," he concludes.
Above:The Slapduk looks good on flat fields at Uppsala, but how would it cope with our hills, asks FSOOTY winner Patrick Saynor.
Top: FSOOTY winner Patrick Saynor (centre) discusses the merits of biobeds for disposing of waste and catching spills when filling sprayers with Swedish farm manager Olle Hakelius (right) and manager Jarl Ryberg.