Retailers and restaurants have been severely impacted by the coronavirus events of 2020, but one Indiana farm equipment dealer has not felt the pinch. In fact, it has been the best year ever for sprayer sales. Marv Ulmet, Bane Welker Application Equipment Specialist attributes that to manufacturer incentives and a great working relationship between the retailer and farmers.
“A lot of it is working with our customers, making sure that we are a part of their decision-making process,” he said. “Case IH has rolled out some really great deals this year trying to initiate sales, and farmers are so optimistic. Every time they put a seed in the ground they are hoping to have a bumper crop, so as we have our ups and downs in society and the marketplace, we always know that the farmer is going to be the most optimistic person out there doing what he or she does best.”
Some farmers heading to the fields to apply fungicides this summer are doing so in an upgraded sprayer. While tipping his hat to commercial applicators, Ulmet says farmers are wanting to be able to move quickly during what can be very small application windows.
“Custom retailers do a really good job of taking care of their customers or they wouldn’t be in business,” he told HAT, “but there comes that time where we start to see, especially on fungicide a very short window to get in there, no matter if it’s ground or aerial applications, take care of the fungicide needs of your crop, and with that it becomes hard to cover all these acres. So, that is the key piece that I’m seeing farmers really go toward in the last few years.”
Springtime and mid-season weed control applications have also been very challenging in recent years.
“That’s why having a sprayer on the farm gives the operator the ability to take matters into his own hands.”
Larger capacity tanks and larger booms on new sprayers are paving the way to even more efficiency out in the field. Other improvements like auto steer and in nozzles and nozzle tips are leading to improved accuracy. Learn more at their website, and in Marv’s rundown in the full HAT interview: