SWAT 016: Targeted Herbicide Applications With Trav Hair of Crop Opti Services

SWAT Agronomy

Trav Hair is based in Horsham, Victoria and has worked in ag for 20 years. He’s part of the agronomy team at Crop Opti Services and works closely with research and development companies at their trial site bringing new products to market. As well as looking after his own agronomy clients, Trav also works with machinery companies to help growers utilize their machinery purchases to enable them to achieve better results through the technology these machines provide. Trav shares the value they’re finding in both SWAT MAPS and the SWAT CAM, and the big strides they are making with variable rate herbicide applications.

“Any person that's stepping into precision ag, if you're doing it to save money, I think you're doing it for the wrong reason. I think stepping into precision ag is a really good platform to get a better return on investment and actually make more money at the end of the day.” - Trav Hair

2:49 - Meet Trav Hair and discover where he is from and his journey into his current role at Crop Opti Services

5:43 - Explore how Australia’s agriculture practices have stayed at the forefront of precision ag practices in development and use

7:39 - Discover the origins of mapping in the area and the pitfalls in execution and understanding prior to the use of SWAT MAPS

9:24 - Learn about the practicality of installing and using SWAT MAPS technology and the many data sets produced by them

10:37 - Explore the process from acquiring data from the SWAT MAPS to making practice changes on each individual field and operation

12:17 - Understand the economics involved in employing spot spraying technology and the amount of financial benefit some producers are achieving

15:52 - Discover the barrier to adoption for different options for “See and Spray” technology including machines, technology and chemical variety

18:45 - Learn about the catalysts that best encourage producers into exploring this technology and discovering its benefits

22:10 - Explore how variable rate fertilizers may be the best way to initiate variable rate technology onto an operation that hasn’t previously used it before. Variable rate herbicides and seeding rates are likely to follow.

26:03 - Discover the advantages SWAT CAM have provided Crop Opti Services and the producers they support

29:45 - Learn about where Trav feels precision ag will go in the future and how it has and will influence the industry going forward

As always you can learn more at SWATMAPS.com