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BY SARAH HOFFMANN
mode of action triggered by weed sensing.
You can get really creative with this.”
WEEDit does have an option to spray
one rate continually while another rate is
programmed for weeds. For example, in
the spring, Albrecht set his system to spray
at a 30 per cent rate that increased to a full
rate when the sensors detected a weed.
At a time when agricultural practices
are increasingly scrutinized, Wolf sees the
optics of spot spraying as benefiting the
industry. “If we as ag professionals wanted
to show a non-farming person some of the
cool things that are happening in ag, this
is a must-see. It makes so much sense to
not do a broadcast spray if you have the
power to spray each weed separately.”
Albrecht offers an installation package
for $170,000 on a 36.5-metre boom spray-
er. This includes a new wet boom, sensors
and nozzles (144 for 36.5-metre) as well as
transport of the sprayer to and from his
shop at Schuler.
While retrofitting a sprayer is a signifi-
cant investment, Albrecht pointed out that
it may give farmers more options using
existing equipment than they would get
for a similarly priced upgrade. Pulse width
modulation—a $20,000 to $60,000 op-
tion on a new sprayer—becomes standard
and works even when WEEDit is disen-
gaged for in-crop spraying. The system
allows for turn compensation, matching
the application rate to the speed variation
along the booms as the sprayer is turning.
The booms recirculate unused product
during use to maintain pressure, which
also allows for continuous-flow rinse-out
of product when spraying is completed.
The first Canadian farmer to ownWEEDit equipment, Travis Albrecht expects to see higher weed-input costs that
will make such technology even more valuable.
CDC Austenson
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Developed by Crop Development Centre, University of Saskatchewan.
Genes that fit
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Product/Campaign: CDC Austenson
Publication: GrainsWest
Date Produced: January 2018
Ad Size: 7.25” x 4.875”
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