Dl4-Lancaster Farming Saturday December 22,1984
Impregnation streamlines fertilizer-herbicide application
LACEYVILLE - For dealers
facing hectic application schedules
in the spring, it makes sense to
combine as many trips across
customer’s fields as possible.
Impregnation allows them to do
just that.
This weed-and-feed technique
combines two trips across the field
into one and allows farmers to get
into their fields earlier to plant. It’s
one process that benefits both
dealers and farmers.
Impregnation involves the
spraying of liquid herbicides onto
dry bulk fertilizer in a fertilizer
blender. The mixture needs to be
blended for several minutes so that
the fertilizer granules can be
evenly coated with herbicide. After
the herbicide and fertilizer are
blended, the mixture can be
augered directly into a spreader
truck, then taken to the field.
For dealers who handle large
amounts of herbicide and fer
tilizers, anything that can lead to
convenience is a big plus. Wes
Spencer, Agway store manager in
Laceyville, Pa., first tried im
pregnation six years ago for that
reason.
Spencer says that by using
impregnation with some of his
customers, he is taking stress off
the work load generated by other
customers who prefer having
liquid herbicides applied alone.
“Before we started im
pregnation, we always feel behind
on our spray schedule,” he points
out. “Now, we are using both
sprayers and fertilizer spreaders
to get the herbicide down, and we
feel a lot less pressured to get
things done in the small amount of
time we have in the spring.”
Spencer sees other advantages
to impregnation. It offers weed
control comparable to that of
liquid fertilizer and herbicide
mixtures, but costs up to 20 percent
less. And farmers who have
MEDICATE YOUR
FARM ANIMALS
ACCURATELY
Simple valve adjustment
permits wide range of
proportional settings...
LliPiil* calnr
Pmedicat^
We Stock A Full Line
Of Parts For Meditators
AARON S. GROFF & SON
FARM & DAIRY STORE
RD 3. Ephreto, PA 17522 (Hinkletown)
Ph0ne:(717)354-4631
Store Hours: Mon., Thurt. I Fri. 7 A.M. to 9 P.M.
lues. 6 Wed. 7 A.M. to 5 P.M.
Spencer impregnate for them do
not have to worry about handling
fertilizers or herbicides them
selves. They also don’t need ap
plication equipment when it is
custom-applied.
“Impregnation is easy, there are
no complications with die process,
and it beats having to take water
tanks out into the field,” Spencer
says. “Also, application can be
made under almost any condition,
including windy weather.”
When Spencer started im
pregnation, the only thing he
needed to buy was an impregnator,
which cost $250. He already had a
5-ton blender for fertilizer mixing.
Spencer first tried impregnation
on 100 acres. Last year, over 1000
acres were treated with im
pregnated fertilizer. Out of those
acres, 75 to 80 percent were
custom-applied.
The herbicides Spencer uses for
impregnation include Sutan+,
Eradicane Extra, Lasso, Dual and
Aatrex for corn and Eptam for
alfalfa. Ninety percent of the acres
treated with impregnated mix
tures last year were in com, with
the rest in alfalfa.
Spencer points out that he makes
the recommendation to his
customers on herbicide rates. "We
usually use Sutan+ at a IVz quart
rate and Aatrex at a 1% pound
rate. If we went with anything
lower, we would be sacrificing
weed control,” he says.
Spencer likes the fertilizer
mixture to be spread at a
minimum rate of 300 pounds per
acre. “If we go with anything
lower than that, the mixture will be
too wet,” he notes. “We Idok at the
needs of the individual farmer, and
if one field needs more fertilizer,
then we go with a higher rate.”
For those farmers who like to
apply their own fer
tilizer/herbicide mixture, Spencer
rents out trailer spreaders. An
advantage to letting a dealer apply
the mixture, though, is that it can
cut a farmer’s equipment costs.
And with custom application, the
farmer can rely on the dealer to
get the job done right.
Gene Gerould, Agway salesman
in Bradford County also sees a
trend towards impregnation.
Acres treated at the Agway
Towanda dealership have jumped
from 500 to 1000 acres in the three
years that impregnation has been
offered.
Gerould sees the same weed
problems in his area that are in
Spencer’s. He claims his
customers had good weed control
results last year with im
pregnation.
“I can say that there really is no
difference in weed control with
impregnation as opposed to ap
plying liquid herbicides,” he says.
“As a matter of fact, impregnation
allows farmers to apply their
herbicide and fertilizer under
almost every situation.”
Minimum and no-till farmers are
finding impregnated fertilizers
work well on residue-covered
fields. With impregnation, fer
tilizer granules aren’t as tied up by
debris to the extent that liquids are
because granules tend to sift
through surface trash.
“By applying an average of 300
pounds of fertilizer an acre, we can
cover at least 60 acres in one fill,”
Gerould says. “If we had to spray,
we would continually be stopping
to fill up the spray and water
tanks.”
Coming...
SATURDAY. JANUARY 12
Lancaster Farming's Annual
PA. FARM SHOW
ADVERTISERS; Plan Now to be Represented
in this Special Issue. Deadline December 28
Phone 717-394-3047 or 717-626-1164
Wes Spencer, Agway store manager in Laceyville, stands by
his impregnation equipment after a busy spring season.
Spencer keeps his blender and impregnator outside, so
spreader trucks can be backed up to the blender and han
dling of the fertilizer is kept to a minimum.
ISSUE
Featuring:
Complete Daily Farm Show
Schedule
Floor Plan Of All Exhibits
List Of All Exhibitors
Keystone Farmer Resumes
Various Farm Show Features