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“Back in 1996, it was clear that many sprayers in use
by farmers would benefit from an auto boom height
controller. Twenty-five years later, we still see many
sprayers without auto boom height,” related Menkveld.
Auto boom height control increases the percentage
of time that the spray nozzles are at the correct target
height. This means reduced off target drifting, reduced
waste, and better weed and pest control.
“While there are obvious financial advantages to
reducing drift and waste, it’s even easier to think
about dollars and cents when you consider that auto
boom height control reduces the chance of the boom
impacting with the ground or the crop. Even minor
issues such as having to replace damaged nozzle tips
and nozzle bodies after a small impact can easily run
into hundreds of dollars of repair costs, downtime, and
missed opportunities to get spray products applied
at the correct moment,” explained Menkveld. “A solid
impact can result in structural damage to the boom
frame with very high repair costs.
While technical advancements sometimes get
complicated, the folks at Greentronics are proud that
its own precision ag products are easy to install and
use. The auto boom system for example features just
four main components:
1.
Console with display and small keypad;
2.
Junction Box;
3.
Sensors complete with housings and mounting
hardware, and;
4.
Cable Harnesses for the sensors, communication,
and power.
“An important aspect of RiteHeight, is that it is safe to
use,” noted Menkveld. “It constantly monitors operator
input and instantly suspends automatic mode when
the operator manually moves a boom. When sensors
are unable to measure distance accurately, the system
stops moving booms until the operator intervenes
manually. It will not operate blindly.”
Other products developed by Greentronics include:
•
Data management software that allows real-time
yield data integration with displays from
Trimble
and
John Deere
;
•
A field-to-storage geo-tracking system for potato
growers.
The geo-tracking system, said Menkveld, allows
automatic generation of traceability information,
allowing users to quickly check product in storage with
field locations where the crop originated.
“We all know that there are a host of factors, including
weather and soil conditions, that have an impact on
crop quality in storage,” he explained. “By collecting
detailed data, the system is able to turn traceability
data into valuable agronomic data, complete with
inventory and farm management reports.”
PHOTOS:
greentronics.com“BY COLLECTING DETAILED DATA,
THE SYSTEM IS ABLE TO TURN
TRACEABILITY DATA INTO VALUABLE
AGRONOMIC DATA, COMPLETE WITH
INVENTORY AND FARM MANAGEMENT
REPORTS.”