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A no-tiller cropping 2,500 acres and doing his own chemical application work could run a sprayer over 10,000 or more acres during the growing season.

Recognizing the need for pinpoint accuracy, timing and dealing with critical crop conditions, most no-tillers handle this work themselves rather than working around a custom applicator’s schedule. Data from a recent No-Till Farmer survey of 266 no-tillers showed only 26% relied on custom applicators for even a small portion of their spraying needs.

How Sprayer Work Was Calculated

Let’s say a no-tiller grows 900 acres of double-cropped wheat and soybeans. With fall-seeded wheat, he applies winter fertilizer, adds a spring sidedressing and makes two fungicide applications. Four passes on 900 acres equals 3,600 sprayed acres.

With no-tilled soybeans following wheat, he applies burndown and residual herbicides, two late-season fungicide applications and seeds a cereal rye cover crop after soybean harvest. Four passes over 900 acres equals 3,600 sprayed and seeded acres.

With 900 acres of double-cropped wheat and soybeans, these eight trips means the sprayer runs over 7,200 acres.