The days are starting to get longer and we are all beginning to enjoy a little more sunshine as the winter fades into spring of 2021. This is the time of year many enjoy vacations to warm destinations or the many activities in our wonderful outdoors here in the Midwest. I particularly enjoy ice fishing with friends from the warmth of an insulated hut. It is a good time to reflect on past results and make plans for the future before the busyness of Spring rolls around. 2021 marks Quality Ag’s 25th year in business and we are kicking it off with a very important investment for you, our customers.
Your fields will be sprayed a little differently by us here in 2021 than in previous years. In the same way that GPS guidance has essential eliminated foam markers for sprayer navigation, you will now be seeing the newest innovation in sprayer application- ExactApply. The John Deere ExactApply technology is the latest GPS innovation that allows our sprayers to be controlled right down to the individual spray tips. We are in the process of mapping your fields, including interior boundaries like terraces and waterways, so we can use the ExactApply technology that we have adopted for the future. You can learn more about ExactApply here: https://www.deere.com/en/campaigns/ag-turf/production-system/application-rowcrop.html We are dedicated to providing you with your best possible result when you entrust your crop protection to Quality Ag. The ExactApply system will allow us to have boom shutoff control in 20” sections where in the past it could be as much as 120 feet. Each individual nozzle responds to the Real Time Kinetic (RTK) GPS sensors on the spray rig and puts out the same rate of chemical, whether it is a nozzle at the outside of the boom during a turn or on the inside. This investment in ExactApply technology is part of our long term commitment to you to be your preferred supplier for your spraying needs. We have a pair of John Deere Gators that will be out mapping until the spring season starts. ExactApply will help us spray your fields in the most precise and efficient way possible. Another benefit that you will see less unnecessary tracking in your tilled fields caused by marking out waterways. This system will shut each nozzle off as it enters an interior field boundary, like a waterway or steep back terrace, and automatically turn back on when it is back over your planted crop. This will reduce the potential of rainwater running down the wheel tracks and eroding your tilled soil. We are dedicated to being your most valued agronomy partner and the ExactApply system will help us further that goal. Thank you for entrusting your crop to us; it is a responsibility that we took very seriously when we started in 1996, still do today, and plan to continue for many years to come.
Joe