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James Boughey, Bouhey Farms, Dorchester
James Boughey, who farms 800ha (2,000 acres) in Dorset, southern England, has been using twin fluid (combined air and water) nozzles for the past 10 years. He needs no convincing that the system brings big advantages, but to so it needs a dependable machine with good service and back-up.
So with a dealer, C Smart Agricultural Services, he describes as “very good” just up the road, this is where he turned when looking for a replacement for an ageing self-propelled machine.
“We also spoke to local farmers about their experience of using the John Deere sprayers. With that and knowing we can rely on the dealer, we moved to a new John Deere 832 TF trailed machine with 3,200 litre capacity tank and 24m wide boom. This fulfils our capacity requirements,” he explains.
Having now covered nearly 4,500ha in its first season, Mr Boughey and his sprayer operator Andy Curtis are convinced they made the right decision. The machine has worked faultlessly and “flew through” its recent NSTS sprayer test.
Mr Curtis says that, with just two taps controlling everything, the sprayer is easy to set up and use. “It is also very straightforward to set up and operate using the GreenStar terminal, once I learned how to use this. This provides a huge amount of settings and information, but the main screen shows all I need, such as application pressures, speed and so on.
“The ability to change the spray quality and droplet size with the flick of a switch is also very useful, often allowing the machine to finish a field by coarsening the droplets, rather than having to stop because of deteriorating conditions,” he explains.
The sprayer is also fitted with the VRS recirculation system. Mr Curtis notices the instant start this provides, by delivering pre-mixed chemical to every nozzle before starting. “This is particularly important with the move to a wider 24m boom. On the previous machine it could take up to 100m to 150m of travelling up the tramline before the chemical reached the outer nozzles,” he adds.
Now with the added dependability provided by the John Deere sprayer, Mr Boughey remains convinced that TwinFluid applications are the most efficient and effective way to apply agrochemicals. But he did look at returning to conventional applications before investing in the new machine.
“We did consider it. But when our agronomist said a product has to be applied at 300 litres/ha to ensure proper coverage that was basically the decider. Going back to hydraulic nozzles is a retrogressive step I was not prepared to take,” he says.
The farm has many years’ experience of using twin fluid nozzles at reduced water rates. The application efficacy from the air-impregnated nozzles, and ease of changing the spray quality between fine, medium and coarse while on the move provide a wider spraying window of opportunity, he explains.
“The sprayer spends more time actively working, rather than simply hauling water around the farm. The costs are lower because the operator gets more work done in normal workdays, with less overtime. The key point is it allows the farm to hit potential problems at the optimum growth stage,” says Mr Boughey.
Keith Harris, Silton Manor Farming, Gillingham
Keith Harris aims to strike a balance between managing his 240ha (650 acre) farm to maximise profit, while enhancing the environment and providing a good place to live and work for family, staff and wildlife.
Silton Manor Farm near Gillingham, Dorset in southern England is a LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) demonstration farm. “We are lucky in the landscape we have inherited. I see it as part of my job to look after that environment and, where possible, improve it,” explains Mr Harris.
This means carefully controlling chemical inputs, by avoiding using insecticides in wheat in the spring and managing his use of other pesticides. He also uses liquid fertiliser, instead of granular products, because it provides better application accuracy.
These are applied with a John Deere 832 Premium trailed sprayer. This was purchased in November 2001, replacing a self-propelled machine and currently covers about 2,200ha (5,500 acres) each year. The arable rotation includes wheat, oilseed rape, borage and forage maize.
Despite handling the corrosive, heavy fertiliser the sprayer has worked faultlessly. “I bought the machine because I was impressed by the build quality, good dealer support and its ease of operation. I have never had to turn to the dealer for repairs. It is just one of those machines that simply does what it is supposed to, without giving me any grief,” says Mr Harris. The sprayer is tested each year by the dealer’s accredited NSTS test centre.
As well as the general build quality and ease of operation, Mr Harris also praises the sprayer’s VRS recirculation system that helps him to spray responsibly. “This is a ‘must have’ item for the way it provides instant starts with uniform coverage. It also helps with cleaning, by purging the lines with clean water that is returned to the tank,” he adds.
He also likes the boom levelling system that is controlled by a simple rotary dial on the in-cab controller. “I’ve not seen that system elsewhere, but it is very easy to use, to set the boom to the correct angle to the crop,” he explains.
Most of his spraying work is carried out at about 10km/hr for application rates of 100 litres/ha. Connected to a 125hp John Deere 6810 tractor, the sprayer’s ease of use and features such as VRS, speeding up turnaround times, help the trailed machine to more than match the previous self-propelled output. But when its sprayer work is over, the tractor is available for other jobs, rather than having a costly power unit tied up in the sprayer.
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