SASKATOON – Inoculants and fungicides are often associated with mess and stress.
Problems with measuring and applying the product, fears of treating too much or too little seed or fears that a four-day deluge will suddenly hit and wash the treatment away, can all combine to build a tension headache.
Flexi-Coil, a Saskatoon-based farm equipment manufacturer, has an analgesic for this malady. The company has introduced a seed treatment unit that can be mounted between the air cart and the seeding tool.
Products are mixed in a tank, mounted on the seed treatment unit and then applied to the seed as it passes through in-line mixing chambers located in the primary seed lines.
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“The seed is dry before it hits the ground because of all the air flow,” said Don Henry of Flexi-Coil. The product is measured through a pump, like those used for intravenous systems in hospitals.
The unit is the first of its kind, according to Flexi-Coil. Company officials say it reduces farmer exposure to toxic products and ensures that live organisms contained in inoculants are delivered to the soil while fresh.
It is approved for several products and the company expects more approvals in coming months. The applicator is designed to work with Flexi-Coil series 20 air tanks and liquid treatments only.
Flexi-Coil has a suggested retail price of between $6,000 and $7,000, and plans to have 60 units available for sale this season.
