Tom Wolf discusses spot sprayers during the Crop Production Show in Saskatoon.

Moving spot spraying forward means building algorithms

Advanced spraying systems have benefits, but also have costs a farmer must consider

Glacier FarmMedia — Spot spraying isn’t a new idea, and the equipment capable of selective application has been around for decades — but the technology that supports this approach is advancing. Tom Wolf, an application specialist with Agrimetrix Research and Training and Sprayers101, recently shared some of the new research, technology developments and application techniques […] Read more

Fusarium head blight symptoms in wheat. The key target for fungicidal treatments will always be the head tissue.

Managing against fusarium takes a multi-part strategy

Tweaking fungicide timing could provide farmers with better control

Kelly Turkington, a longtime plant pathologist for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lethbridge, strongly supports the notion that an integrated approach to managing fusarium head blight (FHB) offers the best chance of success for cereal producers. Even so, Turkington says, in much of Manitoba and northeastern Saskatchewan, that strategy hasn’t always worked as well as […] Read more


Boom stability, boom height and travel speed are critical to uniform herbicide application and curbing variability in spray coverage.

Tackling herbicide resistance with smarter spraying

Tom Wolf from Sprayers101.com shares insights on how spraying techniques and technologies can help farmers stay ahead of resistance

With herbicide resistance on the rise, farmers can no longer spray their way out of weed problems — but smarter spraying can help prevent making resistance worse. That was the message from spray application specialist Tom Wolf, who spoke recently at the Manitoba Agronomists’ Conference. Wolf, from Saskatoon, is known for his contributions to Sprayers101.com, […] Read more

john deere see and spray

Can John Deere’s See and Spray system more than pay for itself?

Analysis of 2024 use shows significant reduction in herbicide use and costs

Iowa State University in late August published the results of its field-scale trials of John Deere’s precision spraying system See and Spray Ultimate, and the outcomes were impressive, to say the least. Deere’s system uses artificial intelligence and machine-based learning to identify weeds in a growing crop and make targeted applications. The Iowa trials consisted […] Read more


Justin Prickel demonstrates the WeedSeeker 2 system’s ability to detect a weed during Agco’s 2024 Tech Day event near Salina, Kansas in June. PTx Trimble is now part of a joint venture between Trimble and Agco.

WeedSeeker 2 offers spot-spraying retrofit for existing sprayers

The green-on-brown system could reduce herbicide use in spring and fall applications

The three current green-on-green spot spray systems on the market now are only capable of functioning in corn, soybean and cotton crops. For most Prairie producers, that doesn’t fit their operations very well. A green-on-brown system, however, could offer significant reductions in herbicide use during pre-seeding and post-harvest burndowns. PTx Trimble’s WeedSeeker 2 system offers […] Read more

The Stratus AirSprayer in flight at the Spaceport America testing facility in New Mexico during the spring of 2024.

Switching to glide

Precision AI’s new autonomous Stratus AirSprayer can carry bigger loads and fly longer than conventional ag drones

For decades, farmers have used boom sprayers in their fields to protect crops from weeds, disease and insect pests. They’ve also relied on crop dusters, which first took flight 100 years or so ago. The advent of drone technology has ushered in a new age in aerial spraying. Today, the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) market […] Read more



autonomous sprayer at dusk

Night spraying for forage pest can spare pollinators

Spraying after sundown is also more effective in controlling lesser clover leaf weevil

Glacier FarmMedia — Prairie forage growers who plan to spray for a particular problem pest, but want to avoid collateral damage to more beneficial insects, may get their best and cleanest shot in the dark. Forage and seed producers heard about the benefits of night spraying for red clover crops during the Saskatchewan Forage Seed […] Read more


Treating and not treating alternating strips of pasture with insecticides has been found to keep grasshoppers in check — while helping to maintain populations of the pest’s natural predators.

Reduced-area pest spraying can still hit moving targets

The RAAT method can cut insecticide use in half and still kill most grasshoppers on pasture

Glacier FarmMedia — Grasshoppers, as their name suggests, hop from place to place in grassy fields. Taking advantage of that natural behaviour, University of Wyoming scientists have devised a way to control grasshoppers on pastures with smaller volumes of pesticides. The method is called Reduced Agent and Area Treatments (RAAT), in which farmers apply an […] Read more

An aerial view of spraying operations at Jake Ayre's family farm near Minto, Man.

Spraying facts, fallacies and forethought

Experts share tips on what you need to know before you spray

To spray or not to spray? That is the question many farmers will be asking themselves in the coming weeks. While it’s still too early to say what pest and disease forecasts will look like this season, it’s never too soon to start thinking about temperature and other factors that can help to determine the […] Read more