Looking for more spray days, south Wales-based R&L Anthony opted for 25cm nozzle spacing when upgrading from a Househam Merlin to a Harrier.
“We’ve been at the mercy of the weather for years,” explains Richard Anthony of R&L Anthony who farms on the coast of south Wales near Bridgend and through the Vale of Glamorgan.
Since buying the Harrier with 25cm nozzle spacing, he says spray days have become far less marginal and much more readily available.
“It has been a game-changer for us since the sprayer arrived three years ago,” explains Richard. “We can get the boom much lower to reduce drift, and this creates more opportunity for spraying.”
“I believe we’re getting much better coverage from the way that spray is pushed into the crop and held by the plants,” he adds. “On warm days, spray evaporation is also reduced.”
R&L Anthony covers a 3,000-acre workload spread over a 10-mile radius of its base at Tythegston. While a local AD plant’s digestate reduces the farm’s reliance on bought-in fertiliser, an intensive rotation keeps the team on its toes, particularly with application timings for sprays and liquid fertilisers.
“We’ve structured our rotation to produce nine crops in six years, where maize can be grown,” he adds. “We’ve really started to improve soil organic matter and through cover crops, we’re making the most of soil biology. Where possible, we won’t leave fields without some form of crop in place.”
The rotation includes winter wheat, rye, maize and oilseed rape, with extensive cover crop and companion crop schemes thrown into the mix. Rye is sown with vetches to fix nitrogen, and the use of hybrid oilseed rape varieties enable low seed rates in conjunction with three companion crops.
“We’ve found that using spring beans, vetches and buckwheat in oilseed rape can deter flea beetle, while encouraging nitrogen and potash release,” says Richard. “So we place a lot of importance on our sprayer.”
The switch to a Harrier was all about application technology. The farm stayed with a 4,000-litre tank and 24m boom, but opted for close nozzle spacing. The 25cm nozzle configuration enables the boom to sit much lower than the standard 50cm spray height, and using 110-degree flat fan nozzles to create a double overlap pattern means the boom can operate at 20cm above the crop.
Househam Group’s Commercial Director, Nick Snowden says the firm has been producing booms with close nozzle spacing for around 20 years, mostly to suit the Australian market.
“We’ve a lot of experience with this approach,” says Nick Snowden. “Though the UK market has not yet woke-up to the benefits closer nozzle spacings can bring. Our system also has the capability to provide auto nozzle switching and turn compensation, without needing to invest in PWM.”
R&L Anthony’s 24m boom is managed by Norac boom height control, with nozzle sections arranged in 3m, 2m and 1.5m sections, with a 0.5m section on each boom end.
Operator Rory Vizard says water volumes are typically 150 litres/ha, increasing to 200 litres for pre-emergence sprays.
“We have several water points and store facilities across the area farmed, which helps to improve logistics and this avoids the need to return to base for filling,” explains Rory Vizard, adding that when using a water volume of 150 litres, he avoids filling the spray tank to the maximum.
“Putting 3,750 litres in the tank creates a 25ha load, which is also a simple calculation when measuring active ingredients,” he says. “This way, I can minimise the amount of part-can quantities to avoid some awkward measuring.”
He says that the sprayer has the benefit of a six-piston pump for faster filling, with transfer through 2in pipework.
“We also have two fill points on the sprayer, which is something we also had on the Merlin,” says Rory. “So if we do use the bowser for in-field filling, the sprayer can suck and the bowser can pump. With single product applications, this technique keeps downtime to a minimum, and helps to lift output.”
Sprayer specification includes Hypro Duo React twin valve nozzle bodies, which affords a single nozzle out front, with a manually rotated four-way turret behind. In addition to a Lechler variable rate liquid fertiliser nozzle, Mr Vizard uses IDK and IDTA air injector nozzles.
His go-to is an 02, and with each nozzle doing half the work of an 04, pressures can be run higher, helping coverage.
“We’re operating at four bars pressure, and travelling a 12-14kph,” he says. “Output is good, and drift is nigh-on invisible with this set-up.”
The sprayer also has a shield across the front of its boom and this provides protection for the nozzles and partially shields the spray pattern against any headwind.
“Overall, the boom height control and stability are very good, and far better than the Merlin. You’ve got to see it in action, to appreciate how good each application really is.”
The Harrier’s track width is set at 90in, and is structured to accommodate tramlines in maize with the crop planted in 50cm rows. Tyres are Michelin Xeobib, with Spraybibs used for row crop work.
“The majority of work on wide tyres is achieved at a working pressure of 14psi,” he says. “We’d struggle to reduce our ground pressure much more than this.”
A premium tyre policy has been in place with R&L Anthony for many years, and combined with min-till techniques, the farm has noticed how much better its fields now are at holding up machinery.
Rory Vizard also has high praise for the sprayer’s Claas cab and its comfort.
“It’s a big step forward from the Merlin, and I’d much rather sit in the sprayer than one of our tractor cabs – it really is that good,” he says. “The LED’s around the cab are great, as are the boom lights, but I could do with better lighting at the rear, to help when reversing into field corners at night.”
Minor tweaks aside, owner Richard Anthony is pleased with the farm’s decision to upgrade, and with it, adopt the closer 25cm nozzle spacing.
“We’re no longer snatching at every opportunity to go spraying,” adds Richard. “Yes, there’s an extra cost to this system, but when you consider the value of plant protection products applied each season, and the benefits of hitting our application timing, we have to make the most of all the resources that are available to us.”