Sterling Hilton of Strathmore, Alta., who has two full spraying seasons with his Capstan PinPoint system on a 120 foot boom, is a meticulous record keeper.
“We’ve seen anywhere from a six percent saving in chemical up to 14 percent saving, depending on the shape of the field,” he said.
“That’s versus the sectional control sprayer we had before.”
Hilton said many of his fields are cut into odd shapes by canals running through them from the Western Irrigation District, which is why the PinPoint is paying its way for him.
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“It has this turn compensation feature which I really like,” he said.
“When I make a turn with this 120 foot boom, the system puts more product down toward the outside where the nozzles are travelling way faster. At the same time, it cuts back on the spray from nozzles on the inside of the sweep where the boom is running slower. The result is that I get the same amount of product across the whole arc of the boom.
“There’s one other thing I like. They give you a separate screen in the cab so you can monitor everything that’s happening with your nozzles. I really like that idea.”
Some farmers at Manitoba’s Ag Days in January expressed their concern that a control system so sophisticated that it could control individual nozzles must be difficult to program and manage.
“Yes, it does seem complex,” Hilton said.
“But they set everything up for us when they delivered it. I really haven’t had to play with it much at all. It certainly hasn’t been a nightmare in terms of learning or actually operating it. It’s easy.”
