How's the spray season?

flynhigh · Post by **flynhigh** » Fri Aug 27, 2004 3:31 pm

Just wondering how the spray season is going for everybody! I've been away for a year and miss it so much, but scheduled days off are nice too!

Flybabe · Post by **Flybabe** » Fri Aug 27, 2004 8:39 pm

Can't speak for back home, but....

Down here things are winding down. Still spraying some cotton and sunflowers for bugs, should be a bit of alfalfa coming in. Had an ok year for herbicide but it was so wet (haha) down here that the bug run never happened. Didn't make as much this year as I did last.. story of my life...

We won't be totally done until October.

flynhigh · Post by **flynhigh** » Sat Aug 28, 2004 1:15 am

Thanks flybabe! What chem do u use to control bugs down there. Also what kind of bug run were u hoping for?

Flybabe · Post by **Flybabe** » Sat Aug 28, 2004 5:21 am

Popular insecticides at this particular moment:

Baythroid, Lannate, Methyl Parathion, Dimethoate... we've got bollworms, sunflower head moth, a *little* bit of cornborer and a little bit of spider mites.

Boss was hoping for more of a cornborer run because EVERYONE planted corn this year (good price). Didn't happen. Also, alot of the cotton got hailed out or did poorly and was disced under because of the weather, so the cotton work is pretty slow too.

Last year we had alot of sweet corn in the area which had to be sprayed every 36 hours (rain or shine). The company went tits up so there isn't any this year either.

If there's any alfalfa work to come in it may consist of alfalfa butterfly (cabbage loopers) or thrips, perhaps aphids... but there hasn't been any so far.

Trade ya - you come fown here and I'll go back to Canada

flynhigh · Post by **flynhigh** » Sat Aug 28, 2004 9:23 am

Yeah I often wondered what the american spray season would be like! Well nice to see ya still killin bugs! Flybabe do u do much fungicides, Sadly to say that was the majority off my season. What kind of gal/ac do u do your bugs at?

Flybabe · Post by **Flybabe** » Sat Aug 28, 2004 1:29 pm

We use fungicides on wheat quite a bit.. popular ones are Tilt and Quilt.

Pretty much all of the bug work is run at 2 gal/ac. SOME (not much) is 1 gal, if bug pressure is critical we might run 3-4.

What did you fly when you were spraying?

flynhigh · Post by **flynhigh** » Sat Aug 28, 2004 2:25 pm

Started out on the ag truck and then moved on to the thrush! Both great airplanes!

Flybabe · Post by **Flybabe** » Sun Aug 29, 2004 6:28 am

LOL.. yup...

I started on the Ag Truck too, now on AT402, maybe 602 next year, if I last. Did some 550 Thrush training last fall (we have a 660 but it's on fire contract).

Definitely a different kind of flying, wonder if it's possible to make a living as an ag pilot in Canada, though..

Any idea?

flynhigh · Post by **flynhigh** » Sun Aug 29, 2004 2:58 pm

for sure if u fly a 502 or bigger and do fire suppression, to help out with the ag spraying, which you sitting pretty good w/ 402 time. If u rely on the ag sprying to get u by, you won't be taking the winters off.

Flybabe · Post by **Flybabe** » Sun Aug 29, 2004 5:15 pm

LOL... figures...

CrimsonSkies · Post by **CrimsonSkies** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 1:03 pm

Well.......I got rid of the 402 and the ag-truck, so I didn't have a season, moved on to bigger and better pastures now, and I don't regret a thing..........the spraying was fun, but the $$$$$ aren't there like they used to be

Flybabe · Post by **Flybabe** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 3:51 pm

LOL... Crimson you're a lucky guy, wish I could have luck like that

flynhigh · Post by **flynhigh** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 11:15 pm

crimson, almost the same situation here, and I agree w/ your comments. I just didn't sell any a/c!! Do miss the flying part of it though, I guess that will alway's be in a persons blood!!

Cat Driver · Post by **Cat Driver** » Tue Aug 31, 2004 1:55 am

Yes Ag work was my first job and also the one I most enjoyed.

Cat

CrimsonSkies · Post by **CrimsonSkies** » Tue Aug 31, 2004 10:08 pm

flynhigh wrote:crimson, almost the same situation here, and I agree w/ your comments. I just didn't sell any a/c!! Do miss the flying part of it though, I guess that will alway's be in a persons blood!!

LMAO.......I didn't say I SOLD them.........but at least the "X: didn't get any of it either!

Beaver Driver · Post by **Beaver Driver** » Wed Sep 08, 2004 9:25 am

I'm having a pretty good season. I worked less days, but did more acres. Only one load of bugs, the rest was all fungicide. Wheat, canola and spuds.

I hear lots of other operaters had a terible season.

I'm taking the winter off, but maybe my expectations are lower. I figered out that I made 2.5 times the money I would have if I stayed on floats this year.