Consider logistical flow across the whole farm via the various spraying operations. Can you improve how things flow?

Identify areas where equipment design or farm layout may be reducing your efficiency. Ask yourself the following.

• Where are the typical hold-ups?

• What are the spray hours compared to the engine hours?

• Where do losses in efficiency occur?

• Are there areas of over or under-application?

• How can these things be improved?

Integration of equipment

It is important to consider how well all of your equipment is integrated. This includes:

• GPS

• auto-steer

• wheel centres

• total widths of seeders

• headers

• the sprayer.

Integrating all of these things can take time and careful planning but the results can be very rewarding.

Find out more

For more information go to Module 22: Integration of the sprayer with other farm equipment.

Traffic and machinery movement around the farm

Make sure vehicle movements around the farm make sense. For spraying operations it can often be logical to increase the number of fill points to reduce travel time refilling the sprayer, or employ water carts to take the water to the application site.

Farm layout

Changes to farm layout are difficult but are sometime necessary to maximise efficiencies and minimise risk to sensitive areas.

Longer spray runs, fewer turns and fewer obstacles can all increase efficiency and reduce running costs.

Fewer wheel tracks in the paddock can often improve yields and reduce running costs, but this generally requires good integration between all of your equipment.

Consider using vegetative barriers to reduce the movement of chemicals from sprayed paddocks towards sensitive areas such as houses, water bodies, pastures and neighbouring crops.

Find out more

For more information go to Module 4: Drift management strategies.

Crop choice and rotations

The cheapest spray application is the one you don’t have to make.

Where it is possible and practical, consider crop types, varieties, tolerance traits and management practices that allow you to:

• reduce disease build-up;

• make use of crop competition to suppress weed growth – consider planting density, row width and operational issues for other machinery;

• consider alternative crops that may allow the use of herbicides with different modes of action as a way of controlling hard-to-kill weeds; and

• implement alternative control strategies – using residual herbicides to rotate chemistries and reduce the need for additional fallow spray passes, or strategic cultivation.

Plan for when you will need to upgrade or replace your sprayer

Planning for your next sprayer should begin when you start operating your current sprayer.

• Identify the features you found most useful, but also what limits your ability to spray the way you wanted to spray.

• Consider what features you may require, and why, well in advance of the purchase or upgrade.

• Document your current maintenance requirements and costs.

• Know the real cost of operating your current sprayer.

• Consider depreciation and when to change.

• Know the life you expect out of a replacement sprayer for your operations.

• Research and consult as widely as you can.

• Make sure service and after-sales support is available.

Before purchasing a new sprayer, also consider the following.

• Are there other ways of improving your productivity?

• How will the sprayer integrate with other equipment?

• What features will contribute to more efficient operations?

• How you will get increased productivity without reducing efficacy or increasing risk?

• How will it match your future cropping and management practices?

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