Salford’s MagnaSpread PLUS+ and It’s 120 Foot Swath

May 14, 2024

100% Duty-Cycle Machine Is Built for Efficiency and Performance

Salford Group is taking fertilizer and lime application to the next level with its MagnaSpread PLUS+ spinner spreader.

Farms.com recently chatted with Lee Kilpatrick, the US Sales Manager for the Salford Group, about what he calls one of the company’s marquee products.

This machine represents the culmination of twenty years of technological advancement in the MagnaSpread product line, which now incorporates modern wide swath technology.

According to Kilpatrick, the MagnaSpread PLUS+ stands out in two regards.

The first being its swath. Rather impressively the swath is capable of spreader up to 120 feet or 36 meters, depending on the material.

This feature alone sets it apart in terms of operational efficiency, allowing for broader coverage in less time.

Another standout aspect of this machine is its robust duty cycle. The MagnaSpread PLUS+ is a true 100% duty-cycle machine and operates with hydraulics that are more than 90% efficient.

“Not only is it efficient in the swath that it can throw, but it is also efficient in the duty cycle that it can maintain,” adds Kilpatrick.

The MagnaSpread PLUS+ includes a 20-ton walking beam suspension paired with 800/65R32 tires. The 20’ tandem axle offering also includes overhead mounted spinner motors, stainless steel spinners, a 30” belt-over-bar conveyor, and a spreader pan test kit.

Kilpatrick also focused on ROI for this machine.

He stated that for farmers covering 1,000 acres or more, and spending at least $8 per acre, the MagnaSpread PLUS+ can show a break-even point in just over two years.

“As you are coming into these years when unexpected things may occur, you have got to look for ways to increase your top end and reduce the expense to get there,” adds Kilpatrick. “And this is certainly the type of tool that can do that on your farm.”

In a time where efficiency and cost-effectiveness are key to success, the Salford MagnaSpread PLUS+ is a tool worth having.

Watch the below video to learn more about the MagnaSpread PLUS from Salford Group.

Video: Turning Plant Defense Into a Management Strategy

Turning Plant Defense Into a Management Strategy

Understanding how a plant responds to stress is one thing.

Using that knowledge to make better management decisions is another.

Systemic acquired resistance, or SAR, is the plant's more direct defense response. When stress or infection occurs, the plant begins signaling throughout its system and preparing defensive compounds.

But if we know that response exists, can we help prepare the plant before the stress arrives?

The answer starts with understanding what triggers the response and what the plant needs to carry it out.

The Trigger and the Fuel

Salicylic acid plays an important role in triggering the SAR pathway.

Think of it as turning the truck on.

The engine may be running, but it still needs fuel to do the work.

In this case, manganese plays an important role in supporting the enzyme systems involved in the plant's defensive response.

This makes manganese status an important part of the conversation. Whether a producer is using tissue testing, sap analysis, or simply scouting for visible deficiency symptoms, the goal is to make sure the plant has adequate manganese available.

Manganese is required in relatively small amounts, but that does not make its role small.

If the plant receives a signal to defend itself but lacks the nutrition needed to support that response, it may struggle to carry out the process efficiently.

The trigger matters.

The fuel matters too.

Prepare Before the Stress Arrives

The best time to think about stress management is before the plant is overwhelmed.

Once a crop is already struggling, management can quickly turn into a game of catch-up.

This is similar to nitrogen management. Once a plant becomes severely deficient, correcting the problem does not necessarily erase the time and yield potential already lost.

Plant defense can work the same way.

Low-rate, targeted approaches designed to support the SAR pathway may fit best ahead of an expected stress event rather than after significant damage has already occurred.

That requires producers to think about predictable stress.

We may not know exactly what the weather will do tomorrow, but we generally know summer heat is coming. We know certain field conditions increase disease pressure. We know a herbicide application can temporarily stress a crop as the plant processes the chemistry.

Even a properly timed and labeled herbicide application can create a temporary response in the plant.

That does not mean the herbicide is bad.

Weeds can create significantly more yield loss than the temporary stress caused by controlling them.

The question is not whether we should eliminate every stressor.

The question is whether we can better prepare the plant to manage necessary and predictable stress.

Not All Stress Is Bad

Stress is a normal part of plant growth.

A perfectly stress-free environment does not exist in the field.

In fact, some stress is necessary for normal plant development. A plant responds to wind, temperature, moisture, sunlight, and countless other environmental signals throughout the season.

The environment is stress.

The plant's job is to manage it.

Problems begin when the stress load becomes greater than the plant's ability to respond.

Extreme heat, drought, high salt concentrations, disease pressure, and even certain management practices can add to that load.

This is where understanding SAR becomes useful.

Instead of waiting until the plant is visibly struggling, producers can begin identifying periods when stress is likely and make management decisions around those windows.

ISR Starts With the Soil

While SAR is a more direct defense response, induced systemic resistance, or ISR, brings the conversation back to soil health.

The longevity of a farm is closely connected to the health of its soil.

Carbon plays a major role because it supports biological life within the soil. Bacteria, fungi, and other organisms interact with plant roots and influence how the plant grows, accesses nutrients, and prepares for stress.

This is why soil health cannot be reduced to one product or one application.

It is a system.

Keeping living plants in the field longer can support biological activity. Cover crops may fit some operations. Better water management can improve soil conditions.