TESTIMONIAL

X20 SYSTEM GIVES BROTHERS SPRAYING ACCURACY

Jamestown, SA, Australia, February 2004: The ability to spray at night with confidence the job is being done accurately. This is the big benefit Jamestown (SA) brothers David and Craig Humphris have achieved since buying their Topcon X20 guidance and controller system.

"With a 34m (114 ft) twin line crop sprayer to manage, the question of accuracy cannot be left to chance," David Humphris said.

"With the X20 we have eliminated problems with over and under lapping," he said.
"The X20 guidance system has also eliminated the frustration of getting foam markers to work.

"Now, if we have to leave a paddock to attend to something else on the farm or if it gets wet and we have to go home, we know we will start up again in the right spot," he added.

The Humphris brothers also find the X20 guidance system an essential tool when spreading gypsum and/or lime over their paddocks.

"We spread gypsum for its sulphur content two years before a canola crop and we use the lime to correct any pH problem we may have," David Humphris said.

"It is equally important from the point of view of our soil that our spreading is as accurate as our spraying," he added

The spray controller part of the Humphris X20 system incorporates twin line flow and rate control together with auto section shut-off.
"We are no-till croppers and are already working our paddocks up and back, so the auto shut-off feature has proven a big winner for us," David Humphris said.

"It recognises the headlands and automatically shuts the machine off and restarts it when we are back on track for the next run," he added.

The Humphris brothers are gearing their whole property for controlled traffic farming.

"We are slowly making our paddocks bigger to cater for longer straight workings," David said.

"We are ripping out rock reefs and filling in gullies and erosion creeks to achieve our controlled traffic aims," he said.

Besides their Western Australian made 34m Sonic crop sprayer, the Humphris cropping plant comprises a 11.3m (one third the width of the spray machine) Flexi-Coil seeding bar fitted with AgMaster points, boots and rotary (hardened plastic) press wheels-harrows and a Flexi-Coil triple bin (modified) air cart.

The brothers pull this rig with a 325 hp Case-IH Steiger STX tractor.

David Humphris also described the X20 system as a great time saver.

With an annual cropping program of about 1800ha comprising a mixture of wheat, durham, barley, beans, peas and canola along with an export hay growing program, and a relatively narrow window of opportunity to get it all planted, David said timing and accuracy were essential.

"This is what we are achieving and I guess that's why we are so impressed with the X20 system, plus the fact we know we can add other functions and programs to make our farming practices even more efficient," he said.

For more information about Topcon Precision Agriculture, or to express interest in becoming a dealer call 08 8203 3300

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