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Spray Redux's Double Nozzle sprayer is an inexpensive
way to reduce your off-farm expenditures by using less herbicide and/or insecticide
without compromising your crop protection. Cost saving is the obvious
direct benefit, but there are other indirect benefits of reducing your
pesticide use. By reducing your application rate, you can also improve soil
tilth by reducing the amount of pesticide entering the soil. This can contribute to
better plant growth and increased yields. And less pesticide applied
equals less pesticide in the soil and water.
Manufacturing and commercial companies are are always
looking for ways to reduce their costs and increase their production
efficiency. They call this "Lean Manufacturing".
Agricultural methods and equipment that "do more with less" we
call "Lean Agriculture";. The Double Nozzle is Spray
Redux's first contribution to Lean Agriculture. Use
this Cost-Benefit Analysis to see if the Double Nozzle is right for you
This Cost-Benefit
Analysis will give you a good idea of the potential benefits the Double Nozzle
can have for your farm operation.
- Look up in Table 1 the size of sprayer closest
to the sprayer you wish to adapt. If your boom length lies between the listed
sizes, you can estimate your likely costs by pro-rating the listed values. For
example the cost of converting a 50 foot boom to Double Nozzle technology will
cost approximately $4,441 which is mid way between the cost for a 40 foot boom
($3,555) and a 60 foot boom ($5,330). The cost for pump, tank and hose are only
approximate and may not be necessary if you have suitable equipment already.
- Find in Table 2 your annual pesticide cost per
acre and look down the column to the row with the application rate you feel
comfortable using. The $ amount listed there is the price you would pay for
pesticides applied to 100 acres using the Double Nozzle system. Multiply
this number by the number of 100 acres to get your total annual chemical cost.
- Your savings are shown in Table 3. If
your pesticide costs are $20/acre and you reduce your application rate by a
conservative 30%, your saving will be $600 for every 100 acres you use the Double
Nozzle. Your actual savings will be more or less depending how much you reduce
your application rate.
- Tables 4 and 5 show the Return on Investment
(ROI) and the time it will take to recover your investment, respectively. These
figures are based on pesticide costs of $20/acre at label rate and a conservative
30% rate reduction. Your ROI will be more or less depending how much you reduce
your application rate. And remember, you can achieve this ROI every year
and in most cases can pay for your investment in less than one growing season.
| Table 1. Estimated cost of
upgrading your sprayer to Double Nozzle technology |
| |
Boom length |
| Expense |
40 ft |
60 ft |
80 ft |
| Actual cost of kit (incl. S/H) |
$3,555 |
$5,330 |
$7,110 |
| Estimated cost of extra pump |
$300 |
$450 |
$600 |
| Estimated cost of extra tank |
$200 |
$300 |
$400 |
| Estimated cost of new hose |
$50 |
$75 |
$100 |
| Total Estimated Cost |
$4,105 |
$6,155 |
$8,210 |
Table 2. Cost of
Pesticide per 100 Acres |
| |
Cost of Chemical ($/acre) |
| Application Rate (% of Label Rate) |
$5 |
$10 |
$20 |
$30 |
$40 |
| 100% |
$500 |
$1,000 |
$2,000 |
$3,000 |
$4,000 |
| 90% |
$450 |
$900 |
$1,800 |
$2,700 |
$3,600 |
| 80% |
$400 |
$800 |
$1,600 |
$2,400 |
$3,200 |
| 70% |
$350 |
$700 |
$1,400 |
$2,100 |
$2,800 |
| 60% |
$300 |
$600 |
$1,200 |
$1,800 |
$2,400 |
| 50% |
$250 |
$500 |
$1,000 |
$1,500 |
$2,000 |
Table 3. Pesticide
Costs Saved per 100 Acres |
| |
Cost of Chemical ($/acre) |
| Rate Reduction (% of Label Rate) |
$5 |
$10 |
$20 |
$30 |
$40 |
| 10% |
$50 |
$100 |
$200 |
$300 |
$400 |
| 20% |
$100 |
$200 |
$400 |
$600 |
$800 |
| 30% |
$150 |
$300 |
$600 |
$900 |
$1,200 |
| 40% |
$200 |
$400 |
$800 |
$1,200 |
$1,600 |
| 50% |
$250 |
$500 |
$1,000 |
$1,500 |
$2,000 |
Table 4. Annual Return on Investment with $20/acre
Product at 30% Reduction |
| |
Acreage |
| Boom Length |
500 |
1000 |
1500 |
2000 |
3000 |
| 40 ft |
171% |
341% |
- |
- |
- |
| 60 ft |
114% |
227% |
341% |
- |
- |
| 80 ft |
85% |
171% |
256% |
341% |
512% |
Table 5. Number of
Months it will Take to Recover the Investment |
| |
Acreage |
| Boom Length |
500 |
1000 |
1500 |
2000 |
3000 |
| 40 ft |
7 |
4 |
- |
- |
- |
| 60 ft |
11 |
5 |
4 |
- |
- |
| 80 ft |
14 |
7 |
5 |
4 |
2 |
|
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