A free online tool that helps growers manage risks associated with agrichemical use on their land has received a significant upgrade, with improved functionality and the addition of a powerful new mapping system to help identify environmentally sensitive areas.

Developed by New Zealand agritech company HortPlus and proudly supported by Croplands Equipment, the new SprayPlan Manager makes it simple for farmers and growers in any industry to identify environmentally sensitive areas and create easy-to-update digital spray plans that comply with council regional air quality plans.

SprayPlan Manager makes it easy to create and maintain a plan, so you can spray the most sensitive areas on your land at the most appropriate times while considering weather conditions and spray drift, getting the job done quicker, and using the right quantity of spray. 

Andy Mawley, contractor, educator and Croplands sprayer specialist

“We’re delighted to support a free tool that moves the industry forward by helping farmers and growers to effectively plan and implement responsible and sustainable spraying practices on their land,” HortPlus Director Mike Barley said.

The latest version of the SprayPlan Manager platform enables better mapping and product lookup, as well as a risk assessment module, and is used annually by more than 1,000 growers across more than 30 crop types.

Its development followed feedback from users, including experienced agrichemical spraying contractor, educator and Croplands sprayer specialist, Andy Mawley.

Mr Mawley teaches responsible spraying practices to growers and farmers across New Zealand and he saw an opportunity to move growers and farmers from simply “ticking the box” when spraying on their land to proactively thinking about how they could spray in the best way possible for health, safety, and the environment.

“SprayPlan Manager makes it easy to create and maintain a plan, so you can spray the most sensitive areas on your land at the most appropriate times while considering weather conditions and spray drift, getting the job done quicker, and using the right quantity of spray.”

SprayPlan Manager is supported by New Zealand Wine and Croplands Equipment as a free pan-sector tool for growers.

View full media release here.

At Croplands, we recognise the important role that spray rate controllers play in accurate spray application.

Spray rate controllers have long been acknowledged as essential in achieving accurate application when spraying wine grapes.

Like all technologies, spray controller capabilities are rapidly evolving to meet customer demands and industry requirements. 

Andrew Germein, Croplands Horticulture Product Lead

Coverage mapping or “proof of placement” is becoming more common across the viticulture industry.

In 2019 Croplands released a new Fusion control system which is standard on its Premium Smart Spray model range.

Using a colour touch screen and integrated electronic joystick, the Fusion controls both sprayer and hydraulic functions eliminating the need for multiple control boxes in the cab.

A NuPoint 850 data management system can be added to record spray coverage and rate applied at travel speed.

This data collected forms the basis of an electronic spray diary, with the business manager able to generate spray jobs which are sent to the operator’s smart phone.

Released for 2021 is the ARAG IBX-100 ISOBUS controller system.

It too controls spray and hydraulic functions, can map spray coverage and auto section control if suitably optioned.

Gibb Bros is a third generation, vegetable farming business based in South East Queensland.

The company farms across several sites, including the fertile Fassifern Valley and the rich plains of the Darling Downs, near Toowoomba.

Following a recent acquisition of additional land, Gibb Bros had the need to add a new sprayer to their fleet. Having purchased a Bargam Fox trailed sprayer in 2012, the team at Gibb Bros elected to purchase another of the same model, taking delivery of a new Bargam Fox 2700 trailed sprayer with 16.5 metre air boom.

Fox trailing sprayers are manufactured in Italy by the Bargam group, one of the premier sprayer manufacturers in Europe, and imported into Australia by Croplands Equipment. Well known for their variable track axle (1.5m – 2.1m) and fully galvanised, side folding hydraulic boom, the Fox is a versatile sprayer for both row and broadacre crop types.

Fitted to the two Gibb Bros sprayers are the Bargam Air Assisted Booms which make it possible to work with 6/8 m/sec strong winds, making the machine less dependent on surrounding weather conditions and significantly minimising spray drift.

These sprayers operate twelve months of the year across a wide variety of crops including lettuces, celery, kale and cabbages, often needing to move from spraying young seedlings to more mature crops within a few hours. As such, air volume and speed adjustment from the cab was a critical requirement. This is accomplished via an optional integrated ARAG control system which controls the fan speed that produces the air to the boom.

Other optional extras included electric over hydraulic in-cab switchbox and a Bravo 180S fully automatic rate controller.

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