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Southwest Illinois | Many years ago Gustafson came out with a very simple treater to add to an existing wagon(something like a hydra fold auger). If you bought a certain amount of treatment they gave it to you. Very simple, had a chemical pump, flow adjustment valve, remote on/off switch and a holder to hang the 2.5 gallon jugs on a wagon. It basically pumped treatment into the bottom of the auger and it would mix really well once it was discharged. We used it in the 90s when we drilled most of our beans. Once we went to a planter and seed tender we got away from it and bought treated seed. Anyway that thing laid around in a shed for nearly 20 years. I got the wild hair that I would build a forklift cradle for it and set the auger very near to horizontal position. I have about $75 in steel invested and it works perfectly. We had to figure out how much seed it flowed and then calibrated our pump valve to apply the correct amount. It does vary a bit with large seed or small seed but we kind of have it figured out. We dump boxes into the auger end then discharge into a belt conveyor into a hopper bottom trailer. We used to buy ready to apply treatment but I have been buying generics and adding color. With just a simple fungicide(we don't have bean leaf beetle issues) our chemical cost is just under $2/unit. We have played around with some other things like Saltro and other products so you can get a lot more money tied up if you want. Most dealers around here charge around $10/ unit for fungicide and $15 to $20 for fungicide/insecticide. The chemical pump is basically a duraflow or similar pump like you would see on a UTV sprayer but I have yet to replace it. The valve is just a simple valve with settings to help you in calibration. The key is to get your slurry consistent everytime. If you add too much water you will likely overapply, if you use too little you will underapply. The reality is I could double or triple my rate and still be money ahead. I worked in the soybean seed business for 15 years and the drum style treaters are just as damaging as a full slow turning auger. The only treater that does no damage is the continuous batch treaters, but they are so expensive even most seed companies won't spend that much on them. Obviously there are box to box treaters and more setups being sold that cater to the guy who maybe only needs to treat 500 units or so. Our treater has been maybe the best ROI that I own. We have done it probably nearly 10 years now. | |
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Treating your own soybean seed
