Panel: Discussion of Applicator Technology

A group of custom harvesters came together to discuss the latest applicator technology at the Vita Plus Custom Harvester Meeting 2011. Led by Jon Urness, Vita Plus national forage specialist, the discussion featured two new-to-the-market inoculant applicators.

Gordon Marley, from Ecosyl Products Limited, first outlined the development and advantages of ULV (ultra low volume) applicators. In the past, forage harvesters had to carry enough water in tanks to apply upwards of a quart – or even a gallon – of solution per ton of forage. This required a lot of water for harvesters that were chopping five tons and more of material per minute. Tracer and fermentation studies have shown that with the right applicator, as much as 100 tons of forage can be treated with a single gallon of water.

Jason Linscheid, of Linscheid Farms Custom Harvesting in Dodgeville, Wis., echoed Marley’s claim and told the group that his team has used just about every kind of applicator on the market. It is currently using a ULV applicator and is very happy with it. Linscheid mentioned that some combination inoculant products applied at up to 5 grams per ton can pose a challenge to some ULV applicators. But this can be overcome with the right applicator if the solution is diluted to apply 50 tons of forage to a gallon rather than 100 tons.

Nick Stam, representing Mantis ULV, displayed a new-to-North-America ULV applicator while Dan Dohrmann, owner of Dohrmann Enterprises, demonstrated his company’s new DE-1010X2 with digital display capabilities and a capacity to treat up to 2000 tons of forage between refills.