Keep an Eye on Those Droplets!

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From Cotton Grower Magazine – April 2017

 

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Agricultural shows typically offer a great reflection of what’s actually happening on the farms throughout the Cotton Belt. So as thousands of farmers geared up to utilize new dicamba- and 2,4-D-based herbicide systems in 2017, the Mid-South Farm and Gin Show in Memphis became a hub for weed management discussion.

When Ag Leader representatives went about setting up the company’s booth there in early March, they were well aware of the trend.

“Our rep who covers the Mid-South, he also farms down in Mississippi,” said Russ Morman, sales representative at Ag Leader. “He told us, ‘Hey, we need to put that Direct Command ISO Liquid system front and center.’”

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The Ag Leader team felt like their new application-monitoring technology would be a hot item at the Show – and they had good reason. The ISO Liquid system offers in-cab monitoring of a variety of factors that are crucial to keep applications on target – and droplets at their desired size.

The company began developing the application-monitoring software a few years ago, but Morman says the looming shift in herbicide systems will emphasize the need for products such as this one.

“With the new dicamba technologies that are going to be used this year, we’ve actually got droplet size monitoring now, so our system will know precisely if you’re running the right speed and if you’re using the right pressure,” Morman says. “That way we make sure we’re not drifting and that we’re getting the best coverage. And it’s all monitored right from the In-Command monitor – a screen in the cab of the tractor.”

Morman says the system starts with a grower entering in relevant data regarding the nozzles he will be using for the application.

“Using a tip chart, you enter in the specifics for any specific spray tip,” he says. “It monitors that on screen, and it will tell you, ‘Alright, you’re running a coarse droplet, that’s what you want to be doing.’ But if you speed up or increase rate or pressure where it gets to a smaller droplet size, then it will tell you right on the monitor that you need to slow down or decrease pressure, or whatever it is that you need to do.”

A nice feature of the Direct Command technology is that it’s compatible with any precision ag display monitor that also utilizes ISO. So growers can take advantage of the technology on an Ag Leader monitor, such as the InCommand 1200 Running ISO Liquid, or any existing monitors they have that use the corresponding ISO technology.

The idea, of course, is to reduce drift, leading to better efficacy from your herbicide program, and happier neighbors down the road.

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