Dispatching technology drives application results

If you’ve watched enough professional football over the past few years, you’ve likely noticed the growing presence of Next Gen Stats. The NFL uses this technology to track everything from a player’s route to their top speed, with real-time data that helps coaches and scouts make strategic decisions—who starts, who sits and who gets cut.

Today, agriculture is using similar technologies to gain insights, improve safety and make smarter, more efficient management choices. At MFA, one of the most exciting recent innovations is the adoption of advanced equipment dispatching and telematic technology across many of our retail locations. This technology is more powerful than previously used systems and is integrated into other platforms for a more streamlined process. Like the precision used in sports, these tools help us maximize every play—only instead of yards, we’re measuring acres, efficiency and timing.

For this article, I want to focus on how and why this technology is agronomically important. Every spring, isolated showers can dump heavy rainfall in a 25-to-30-mile radius and cause application equipment to sit idle until field conditions improve. That downtime adds up, especially when pest pressure is building or weed size is creeping beyond ideal control stages.

Now, dispatching and telematic technology offer real-time insights, such as having the ability to see neighboring application equipment that can be quickly redirected to areas where ground conditions are fit to run. The agronomic implications all come down to timing—like many things in life.

Completing spray jobs with multiple machines means we can target smaller, more vulnerable weeds. For example, waterhemp sprayed at less than 4 inches tall is far more susceptible to control than when it reaches boot or knee high. Better still, earlier applications may allow us to apply a residual herbicide pre-emergence, potentially resulting in less chemical use throughout the season or maybe not having to respray fields several times.

“Like the precision used in sports, these tools help us maximize every play—only instead of yards, we’re measuring acres, efficiency and timing.”

Wouldn’t you rather spray once pre-emergence and once post-emergence—rather than two or three post passes that risk insufficient weed kill while also likely harming the crop and yield at each application?

When we can spray earlier and more precisely, we also reduce the need to default to maximum labeled rates. More timely post-emergent applications often allow us to stick with middle-of-the-road rates, especially for susceptible weed species. That said, rates should always reflect weed species and population, not just weed size. For example, controlling annual foxtail might only require 6 to 8 fluid ounces per acre of Volunteer, but perennial species such as johnsongrass may demand higher labeled rates for consistent control.

The fewer post passes we make, the less risk we take with crop injury from adjuvants or aggressive formulations. While adjuvants improve herbicide uptake through the leaf cuticle, some combinations—especially with emulsifiable concentrates—can stress the crop. And every bit of energy the plant uses to recover from that stress is energy it’s not using to produce yield—whether that’s silage tonnage, kernels per ear or seeds per pod.

Of course, enhanced application efficiency is only as good as the information that feeds it. That’s where grower planning becomes essential. Knowing what crop is going where, which fields need burndown, which fields will be worked, which ones are no-till, and where entrances are located—all of these matter. It might be common knowledge for your local applicator, but what if your job gets routed to someone from 40 or 50 miles away and unfamiliar with the area? Clear planning and communication reduce delays, confusion and missed opportunities.

At MFA, Customer Partnering is one of our six core values. If you’d like to improve the timeliness and precision of your custom applications, partner with your local MFA manager or key account manager to build a plan tailored to your farm.    

Check out more stories in the August/September Today's Farmer Magazine.