If Jim Laird and Peter Harrison had their way, spreader contractors wouldn’t get behind the truck wheel without being Spreadmark certified.
In their 25 years in the field the two Spreadmark testers have seen the dramatic difference a bit of know-how can make to cost, efficiency and environmental impact when it comes to the sometimes contentious matter of spreading fertiliser.
“A lot of people think they know what their truck is doing, and they’re doing their best with the truck, but the purpose of the testing is to show what it is actually doing,” Laird said.
“We’re seeing up to an 80% increase in efficiency in how these trucks are performing, meaning they’re doing a damn sight better job than they were before they were certified.”
Laird and Harrison mounted a demonstration at Manfeild Park in Feilding in January, showing how minor tweaks to machinery, and how the operators use the machinery, affect the accuracy of fertiliser application.
They called on key industry players to take accurate fertiliser application more seriously by ensuring more operators are Spreadmark certified.
The Spreadmark certification, facilitated by the governing body which sets out rules and regulations for the ground-spreading industry, Groundspread NZ, is a voluntary fertiliser placement quality assurance programme.
The purpose of the Spreadmark testing programme is to ensure that both the operator’s knowledge and the groundspreading equipment are at a high enough standard to carry out accurate fertiliser application.
Masterton area tester Laird said the certification is “vital in ensuring the greatest economic benefit to the farmer, and the least environmental harm, because we then know where the fertiliser is going and how much is going on a specific area”.
Laird said that about half of the operators in New Zealand have the Spreadmark certification – something he and his colleagues want to see grow significantly given the results once operators are certified.
For operators to become Spreadmark certified they need to undergo testing to prove an understanding of the systems and demonstrate accurate placement of the fertiliser.
Once certified, to maintain their accreditation operators are expected to be tested by a certified tester every two years.
“To put it simply, they can run down a paddock less times in a day, which makes it more efficient to move to the next job, therefore it’s cheaper for the farmer to have his product put on.
Peter Harrison, Hawera Spreadmark tester
Harrison, a Spreadmark tester from Hawera, is confident operators can get much more benefit out of their trucks once the machines are certified and available technology is used properly.
He says that with a few tweaks, trucks can be spreading product up to 10 metres further, as well as much more evenly.
“A lot of these guys drive around spreading at 18 or 20m, when in fact with a few tweaks their truck might go up to 23, 25 and even 28m,” Harrison said.
“To put it simply, they can run down a paddock less times in a day, which makes it more efficient to move to the next job, therefore it’s cheaper for the farmer to have his product put on.
“There’s also less fuel consumption, less tyre wear, less time on the road, and if all these cost savings aren’t happening then it’s all just going on the top line.”
Harrison said the technology is available for most trucks, but there is sometimes a lack of awareness around things like the variations in spreader effectiveness between different types of fertilisers, and how to mitigate this.
“Some operators might say that their trucks will do 35m on urea, and that’s all good and well, but that’s nowhere near the case when they are spreading loads like superphosphate,” he said.
“So what we want in the industry is a truck that could go into the bulk store, be told that their loads have just been changed, then it’s just a matter of updating a few things on the computer and changing the gates and off they go.
“In doing this, they don’t have to go back to the depot and change the spinner disks, and do multiple modifications to do that application efficiently.
“So what we’re trying to demonstrate here today is the wheel doesn’t have to be re-invented to get accurate placement, that’s already there; we’ve just got to get the message out there.”
Laird said because of the proven accuracy in application, and therefore less environmental harm, some regional councils have set regulations in favour of certified trucks and accredited drivers.
“There’s some regional councils with designated waterways, with a non-certified truck and a non-certified driver you can’t go any closer than 5m to the edge of that designated waterway,” Laird said.
“Whereas if the truck was certified and the driver accredited you can go up to 1m, so that’s a big difference.”
Both Laird and Harrison were disappointed with the turnout at the recent demonstration, more specifically from local councils given the direct positive impact the Spreadmark programme can have on local waterways.
“So the obvious effects if people don’t opt in, are the environmental issues that are going to come forward. All it’s going to mean is the industry will have to deal with stricter and harsher penalties,” Laird said.
“That was the reason we invited all the regional councils here today, to show them that with gear properly set up and used appropriately you can get accurate placement.
“We believe that key players need to up their game to make it more mandatory that you need to meet some sort of criteria. In the case of fertiliser companies, it shouldn’t just be about selling 14,000t out of that store, it’s about where that 14,000t go.”
“Once it leaves that store, there’s no way of knowing how that product is being applied, and that’s the problem we’re trying to solve here.”
