I did get a bit of spraying done

I eventually got organised to get fungicide out on the peas we are trialling today. We have been using the John Deere 4440 to pull the boom spray ever since the Ford 8401 clutch packed up, and that is what I used this morning, even though I have got the Ford back from the repairer. Just that I hadn't had time to get the Ford set up for the sprayer again yet.

So the fungicide was pancozeb (I think), the rate 2kg (it's a powder that has to be mixed up) per hectare. It's only a small paddock, 4ha, so it was only a quick job. The trail is to see what happens when a crop of peas is planted on a paddock that had peas growing on it last year. Apparently it shouldn't be done, due to the disease risk, but we're gonna see. It's only a small paddock, so we thought it wasn't much to lose if it didn't work. We have a normal pea crop in the paddock next door that can be used as a control. The fungicide application is a bit of a preventative and none of the normally planted peas will get this application (unless there's a problem).

The John Deere tractor isn't the ideal tractor for pulling the boom spray for a few frustrating little reasons, and after doing the quick spray job, I'd had enough of it. So I decided to change the tractors back again. This was a little involved because I had started putting a new stereo in the Ford and so had taken the roof off. That had to be put back on again. The wiring for the power supply to the boom spray had to be changed back, and all the wiring for the boom spray computer in the cab. We also moved the mount for the computer over to the other tractor, so that had to be moved back too. So a couple of hours later I had it all changed over, hooked on, fuelled up and ready to go for the next spray job.

The next spray job was trace element blend on the Correll Wheat. I managed to get a couple of loads out this afternoon. Three paddocks at Bob's, 5,6 & 7. And the west paddock on wendelbournes. And it was much nicer to be back in the 8401 with a brand new clutch.

It has a brand new stereo as well, which I'm sure works really well, but I haven't had a chance to put the speakers in yet, so couldn't tell you for sure. Might have a chance tomorrow.

The stone picking also continued today, with Oldlands being finished off, and the paddocks at mum & dad's started off.