Round Up

[ryanwheelock]

Question about round up. Looking into doing my first corn crop. Thinking of doing round-up ready corn so I dont have to cult. it. My question is, is round up sold other than in liquid form, I dont have a sprayer and wondered if it is sold dry and could be spread with something like a fert. spreader.
I've done a little research and cant spray Atrazine or Bicep II because I dont have the certifcation and dont know anybody that does, plus dont have a sprayer.
I should have put this in the crop forum.
Thanks
Ryan

 

[ford farmer]

I USE CROP PRODUCTION SERVICES THEY COME AND SPRAY ALL MY FIELDS FOR AROUND 35$ AN ACRE. HIRING IT DONE SURE BEETS MESSING WITH CHEMICALS AND BUYING MORE EQUIIPMENT TO HAVE SITTING AROUND AND ONLY USE IT ONCE A YEAR. IM SURE YOU HAVE A NEIGHBOR WITH A SPRAYER OR A COMPANY SOME WERE CLOSE THAT YOU CAN HAVE THEM SPRAY
HOPE THIS HELPS

 

[paul]

Nope, the stuff has to be a liquid and soak into the leaves. Glyphosate especially only affects green things, so spraying it on the ground or tossing granuals of it on the ground would be a total waste of money.

Sorry. Has to be liquid, sprayed on the green leaves.

--->Paul

 

[ryanwheelock]

No companies for a 3-4 hour radius around here do spraying. Northern Mich has VERy few corn producers compared to southern Mich.
Guess I need to buy a sprayer.

 

[Anonymous-0]

You can take a test to get your certification, check with your extension office. They will have a list of times and locations for the test. In Ohio it cost $35 for the application after you past the test. Then you can spray what ever you want. Some times when you hire it out they come and spray on their schedule which might not be at optimum time with plant development and weather concerns.

 

[Erik Ks farmer]

If you do choose to do your own spraying, check into glystar. It is the generic round up, and will save you $.

 

[ford farmer]

my neighbor biult one but i dont know what it cost and tractor supply has some 3pt models, but you may want to ask a neighbor if they would spray for you or look on craigslist

 

[Anonymous-0]

I built a sprayer on a 3 point platform. Used a 65 gallon tank, a 4.5 gpm 12 volt pump, and plastic plumbing. I made an assembly that bolts to the tractor fender with selector valves, a master valve, and pressure bypass and gauge. I use 1" heavy wall PVC pressure pipe for a wet boom.

First get a couple catalogs. The one from TEEJET is fundamental, then get one from Heartland AgriSupply at Ames, Iowa and one other from a sprayer place near you.

You can buy sprayer parts from lots of places but Heartland AG will under price ALL of them that I've seen.

I like air injected turbo teejet nozzles, they produce a spray of hollow bubbles that don't drift. You need to put down at least 8 gpm though because they are coarse.

Gerald J.

 

[ryanwheelock]

The place to take the test is about 5 hours away from me. To far for what little spraying I want to do.

 

[BCnT]

there is a dry form of Roundup,but you mix it with water to apply...not sure how much land youre farming but you can get set up with a 25 gallon 4 wheeler type spray rig for $200 and change...mine sprays a 10 foot swath and does good on pastures.

 

[Rootsy]

The local MSU Extension office should be offering the applicator's license exams right about now... Will cost you about $50, good for 3 years. Every county in Michigan should have an MSU extension office...

You can download and print the study guides online from MSU and MDA websites... Or you can buy them...

5 hours is a long drive considering you can drive from Toledo to the Bridge in 4 - 4 1/2 hours and from the bridge to Houghton in another 4 - 5...

 

[GordoSD]

You don't need a license for Roundup..Buy it now, lots of sale prices. About half what it was last year
If you have a 4 wheeler you can spray. I do a couple of smaller food plots with mine. I use the 300 gallon sprayer on anything over 5 acres.
Get the 25 0r 30 gallon tank for the ATV. And get the boomless nozzle setup. That will pump about a gallon a minute. To apply properly you want about 10 gals of solution/Ac. And 1 quart of RU per acre. So you can do about 2.5 acres with a tankfu on the ATV.Drive 5mph.

Gordo

 

[big jt]

OK I am gonna rant here for a bit so please forgive me.

Seems like there are people out there who think just about any Idiot can farm. In todays world you need to have a working knowledge of so many subjects it will make your head spin. Pesticide application is one of them.

We went through a period of farmers who worked on the "if some is good more is better". That is why we have restricted chemicals now. Attrazine is the one that I think really pushed us over the edge on restricted chems. Just apply 5 lbs / acre and see how your oats or bean crop does next year. BTW 1.5 lbs is the limit per application and 3 pounds per season.

To be compliant I need to record what I apply and where. and keep those records for 3 years. How many DIY home owners could tell you what they put on their lawn 3 years ago much less give you the EPA registration number of that chemical.

Mind you I am happy to be compliant on this issue as regulation was needed and isn't that difficult to keep up with. I now go to continueing education every year to maintain my license and always pick up a new nugget of info at those meetings.

Sorry for the rant and I will go on to offer my 2 cents on your question Ryan.

First of all there are issues with Roundup. We are starting to see resistant weeds. If you are dealing with any acreage to speak of I would suggest a couple of things. First look a little harder to hire someone to do your spraying. Where are you intending to sell your corn? Here at least most elevators also offer fertilizer and herbicide application. Start asking around. That or where you are gonna buy the chemical. Even ask your seed dealer. Seed dealer prob won't do applications but should know someone who does.

Consider using Ignite with Liberty Link corn. If you use this with Roundup beans in the alternate year you avoid alot of the problems with resistant weeds.

If you are bound and determined to apply the chems yourself GET LICENSED. I have a little bit of a hard time thinking that you have to drive 5 hours to take the test. Ask at the local extension office. You may have very well missed any close testing sites for this year but next winter there has to be one closer than that.

My humblest apologies on ranting here. I am by no means a tree hugger but we do need to be careful what we put on our own ground.

jt

 

[ryanwheelock]

The test is done in Lansing at the MSU Campus thats the closest place, when to my extension office and went to the website.
Only doing 10-12 arces for my own feed for some cows, horses, chickens.

 

[ryanwheelock]

Thats right. I'm up north by the bridge and the test site is down in lansing, might be 4 hours if I drove faster.
Dont really want to get into that for the little bit I want to grow.

 

[ryanwheelock]

That might be the way I go. Think it could do 10-12 arces with wide row spacings? Gotta make sure the 4 wheeler will run down the rows.
Also when should I spray. I'm going to plow/disc/cult then plan. Should I spray before seed goes in and then when its what height??

 

[Tim(nj)]

Since 2003, New Jersey has required an applicator's license for any chemical applied to crops, regardless of federal labeling. So, even though glyphosate is non-restricted, NJDEP requires it be treated as though it is restricted-use. I know other states are considereing the same thing, SD probably is not one of them.

 

[Anonymous-0]

you don't need a license if you are spraying non-restricted chemicals however it sounds like to study guide that goes along with the test would be beneficial to you. In Mn/SD you pick up the test and study guide at the county extension office, take it home, complete it and return it, they will send it in and if you pass you get your license, I would do it soon as it may take a few weeks for turn around time.I only buy generic glyphosate and has never failed me however I put in surfactant/ams even though it is a loaded product.

 

[ryanwheelock]

If I did get the cert. for spraying, is it cheaper per acre to spray with round up without getting tested or cheaper to spray something like Atrazine, glyhosate, or bicep II. Just wondering how much each cost to spray. If the restricted chemicals are cheaper might be worth taking the test if not just spray round up.
Thanks for everyone help.
Ryan

 

[ryanwheelock]

Do the trailer pull-type sprayers from like the 1960s-70s run off the PTO or hydraulics?

 

[W-400 Chris]

Pardon me but I don't get why you would want to mess with chemicals for 10 -12 acres of animal feed, sure its nice to have really clean crops with no weeds at all but is it worth the trouble in the end? Maybe thats just me

 

[Anonymous-0]

a half pound of atrazine improves any corn herb. program, most older sprayers are pto driven and will be fine if the pump is ok,my old sprayer had an ace cent. pump, my ag chem has a hyd. driven pump and I really like it.make sure you have good agitation.

 

[Rootsy]

Upcoming applicators license testing dates and locations within Northern Michigan... See link at bottom of page for all...

Munising on 3/24

Alpena 3/12 and 4/16

Kinross on 3/16

Cheboygan on 3/19

Escanaba on 3/22

Traverse City on 3/16, 3/30, 4/13, 4/20, 4/27

Marquette 4/19 & 5/11

http://www.mi.gov/documents/mda/mda_exam_schedule_statewide_292974_7.pdf

 

[kyhayman]

I'll second the ATV sprayer idea. Get a 15 or 20 gallon unit, its 12 trips but still, its there and it works. Personally, I'd get the training and use Bicep. It will save you a bunch on the seed since you are doing primary tillage anyway.

 

[ryanwheelock]

Thanks for the link I'll check it out. From what I got you can re-up your cert. at the local office but had to go to some class down in lansing that is one day for a 1st timer taking the test. But I could have been reading something wrong.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Usually a PTO pump, often an Ace pump. But generally are a rotten pile of junk. You are better to start from scratch with new materials.

Gerald J.

 

[JMS/.MN]

Roundup is not a restricted use herbicide (RUP) so you do not need a certification to use it,- apparently some say you do in their state. You do need to know how to use and calibrate a sprayer, and an ATV is not a good thing to use. You need to control ground speed (tractor throttle at a fixed speed) as well as pump delivery to the nozzle. Herbicides are nothing to be messed with by untrained people- you"ll screw it up for those of us who use herbicides responsibly. The only peo0ple you can hire to do the job are custom applicators, not your neighbor who is certified for his own use.

 

[Brad Gyde]

I'm in southeast lower MI and just wanted to chime in and say I'm currently working on a deal to buy out what's left on a old farmstead near me.. I know in the barn there's a drawn sprayer.. looked to be in pretty good shape, but don't recall there being a pump.

If I get the deal struck, and it's what I'd call usable (or fixable at a reasonable cost) would you be interested in it? I wouldn't expect a whole lot for it

Brad

 

[big jt]

Ryan

For starters thank you for tolerating my earlier rant.

Here is the situation we have in Iowa on certification. To get the license you need to take the exam once. After that you can either go to continuing ed every year or retest every three years. To get licensed there was never a requirement to go to a class but it is recommended, either that or get a study guide. There are some trick questions (at least on the Iowa test).

While Round Up doesn't require a license I HIGHLY recommend you get one if you are determined to apply your own chemicals. There are things you really should be doing to protect your health that without this you prob wouldn't know. Things like what PPE should you wear? What do you do in case of a chemical spill? How do you dispose of the empty jugs? Are their registered beekeepers in the area? Yes this is important.

For just 10 to 12 acres I wouldn't even dream of doing my own spraying. This should be enough to get a professional out there and it isn't enough to be worth it getting all the equipment working.

Roundup is a fairly safe chemical but doing it this way you are looking at 3 applications. If you get a license or better yet hire the elevator you can get products applied that have a residual.

Food for thought

jt

 

[larryanderson]

We have used Round-Up for over ten years and is the cheapest of any other product.The current price for generic is $9 or less per gallon.Two 32oz. applications equal less than $5.Round -up is an unrestricted chemical sold at even Pamida and other chain stores.It is a contact killer with no residual and needs at least 5gal.of water per acre and needs to be sprayed when weeds are small [less than 3 in.] It is important to use proper tips and equiptment.Round up can be applied at high rates with no crop damage only your pocketbook and is as safe as any chemical.It can drift if windy.

 

[ryanwheelock]

Brad
Let me know if your deal goes threw. I'd be interested in the sprayer. I'm in northern Mich but seems like I'm always going somewere in the state to get old farm equipment.
Thanks
Ryan

 

[Spook]

I think if you pencil this out, you will be money ahead buying the corn. In your area of northern Michigan, typical yields are under 100 bpa. That's why you don't see a lot of farming out there.

 

[GordoSD]

I've got a new pto roller pump for you pretty cheap too.

Gordo

 

[Anonymous-0]

You might just get you a good cultivator, set it just right and keep that crop reasonably clean, as it was done that way for years. If your concerned about really keeping it clean of weeds, get yourself a hoe(hand held tillage tool), it's handle is ROUND and you hold it UP near the top and after hoeing 10 to 12 acres you should be certified. You could be like the old farmer trying to plow with his prize bull. Wasn't having much luck and a stranger asked him why he was going to so much trouble, since he had a shed full of tractors. Farmer said he was teaching that bull that there was more to farming than breeding cows and jumping fences.

 

[stan jefferies]

kill your animals.

 

[Anonymous-0]

roundup= bad news... a 2 row cultivator and a day of sitting on a tractor will work good. if you go the roundup route. be sure to carry a knife if something goes wrong and you have to get off and fix a sprayer nozzle or something,if you get a breath full of that stuff it could collapse your lungs than you take your knife poke it in a tire and use that to re-inflate your lungs... and that stuff WILL give you cancer.. enjoy