ARE YOU LOSING CONTROL OF YOUR FIELDS TO CUSTOM APPLICATORS?

CUSTOM APPLICATORS COST MORE THAN JUST MONEY

Most growers will tell you their self-propelled sprayer is one of the most important pieces of farm equipment they own. Why? Because it puts them in control of how and when their fields get sprayed. If you’re considering buying a new or used self-propelled sprayer, here are three ways Apache Sprayers put you in control and back in the drivers seat.

1. Insects, pests and weeds won’t wait for custom applicators.

You can do a superb job in planting your crops and getting good stands established, but things can quickly take a turn for the worse if you fail to control insects, pests or weeds in a timely manner.

Custom applicators typically have numerous customers with thousands of acres spread across multiple counties. Can you afford to wait three, four, five days — or even more — for a custom applicator to spray your fields when insects, weeds or pests are attacking your crops?

Take control: Timing is everything, and owning your own self-propelled sprayer ensures your fields are sprayed in a timely manner.

“I get to spray when it needs to be done. I’m not sitting there (when a custom applicator says), ‘Oh, we’ll be there this afternoon,’ and they get there a week later. That’s why I bought my first Apache. I couldn’t get it done when I wanted it done.”
— John Zupancic (Morgantown, Indiana)

2. Who decides how your fields are sprayed?

It’s not only when your fields get sprayed, but how they are sprayed. For example, are you growing corn and soybeans at the same time? Then you know it can be difficult for custom applicators to spray a corn herbicide and a bean herbicide at the same time.

In addition, if custom applicators aim to spray the maximum number of acres in the shortest amount of time — and it’s you paying for the chemicals — how motivated are they to optimize variable rate application?

Take control: Owning your own self-propelled sprayer gives you control over the types and variable rates of chemicals that are sprayed.

“The dependability, the pricing and the serviceability of (Apache Sprayers) — it’s the complete package. It was a no brainer to me. Our custom applicators were in the $5-$7 per acre range. We’re comfortably underneath $3 per acre with our Apache Sprayer and that would be a high number for me.” — Pervis Ellis (Harrisburg, Illinois)

3. Custom applicators come at a higher cost.

The cost of custom application is another consideration. According to a farmer survey conducted by Iowa State University Extension, custom applicators charge, on average, $7.45 per acre. How many acres will you pay to have sprayed before realizing the value of owning your own self-propelled sprayer?

“When I trade my sprayer, I figure out what it costs me, and I’d say it costs me about three bucks an acre. With custom application, a lot of the time there’s a 30% charge on top of what I can get wholesale chemicals for, so the break in chemical price about pays for the sprayer itself.” — Jon Lofgreen (Norton, Kansas)

Take control: Owning your own self-propelled sprayer helps you control chemical costs, which can save you several dollars per acre compared to custom application.

Want to find out what your ROI could be if you owned your own sprayer? Get your free calculation using the form!