The Agronomists, Ep 53: Tom Wolf and Greg Dahl on spray additives

(Kara Oosterhuis/RealAgriculture)

There are significant differences between what is available in Canada and the U.S. when it comes to adjuvant additions to the spray tank.

But that’s not to say there aren’t options for Canadian farmers — there are — and knowing what’s available, how they work, and when to use them is key to getting the most from these additions.

To discuss effective spraying and managing risks, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Tom Wolf of Agrimetrix, and Greg Dahl of Winfield United.

Catch a new episode of The Agronomists every Monday night at 8 pm E!

SUMMARY

  • Especially this year, why should farmers be paying extra attention to those spray passes? Product shortages and drought
  • Condition that water!
  • Where Greg is also experienced drought. About a foot of snow on the ground around Saskatoon where Tom is
  • Clip #1: Water Hardness, Adjuvants and Stifled Creativity
  • There’s a regulated market for adjuvants
  • Stifling creativity?
  • Recommending a product without knowing what the performance will be? Needs to be data there
  • There might be a gap in efficacy without competition
  • Where does your spray water come from? Is it dangerous to assume that water quality won’t be an issue?
  • Surface water is a mixed bag.  Don’t guess, test.
  • Your water might not be hard but it might be full of sodium
  • Are there any downsides to using reverse osmosis water for spraying? Any antagonism?
  • How hard is too hard, 200 ppm? 300 ppm?
  • Dicamba + drift
  • Water temperature?
  • Aboveground tanks! Paint them black…
  • Clip #2: Canola School: Matching nozzles to spray needs
  • What can be done to minimize spray drift? The school of thought: hardware first
  • InterLock and other products like it
  • With higher chemical costs are there any concerns that chemicals will be diluted too much?
  • Please don’t cut your rates. Don’t tempt herbicide resistance
  • There might be other things in the tank…
  • Does adding other things to the tank change the droplet spectrum as well?
  • You could do a jar test, but Tom’s advice for this year is to avoid odd tank mixes, because you might not be able to go back to your retail to get more
  • Good agronomy goes a long way y’all
  • What about controlling algae? Does chlorine cause issues later? Please don’t accidentally create mustard gas
  • Since Greg is having a hard time connecting, Lyndsey will do a stand-alone interview with him at a later date, so stay tuned for that
  • Can vinegar lower pH? Tom dispels some things. There is a strong market for acids though
  • Some manufacturers and products make products that dissolve better… in certain conditions
  • Water pH modification can lead to problems
  • Clean-out issues? How much is that clean-out time?
  • Plants can’t drink rocks
  • Humectants would be great, but they’re not available in Canada
  • WinField United has an impressive testing facility — a wind tunnel!

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