This was my third year spraying our own crops with our pull type sprayer.  Its not a job I especially enjoy but I find that I really spend more time worrying about it than I need to.  When conditions are decent it can be fun.  When they're poor (weather or terrain) the enjoyment factor decreases rapidly.  I wasn't a total newbie to spraying before this as we had a 3 point machine that we would use for some bean posting but we now try to do it all our selves.  We did have the co-op do the last 300 acres of beans as they were nearly canopied and a self propelled fit down the row better.  With all that being said I thought it'd be beneficial to list the things I learned this year and also what I want/need to improve on.

1.  Generally, more GPA is better.  The hardcore RUP people say you can get away with as low as 5 gpa but with all the other additives we use (clethodim, cobra, cadet, Marvel, etc) I really need to commit to 14-15 gpa for all my post spraying.

2.  Next year I'm putting 1 size larger nozzles behind my tire rows.  The majority of my escapes appear to be in those rows.

3.  $1 saved on burndowns and pre's will cost $15 to TRY and fix later.

4.  If your first impression of a previously sprayed weed is that it will not die, it will not die.

5.  I need to put a fence row nozzle on my machine and commit to using it on field borders at burndown/pre time.  Lots of marestail escapes in those areas.  I need more info on fence row nozzles.

6.  My best looking/least cost herbicide program on beans is the field that I used a good pre on (did on all fields) but then also committed early to making two post passes on.  It still will have some random escapes but nothing concerning.

7.  I drove by a LL bean field today that a week ago looked perfectly clean.  Today it has escapes.  That's concerning.

8.  Be ready to spray several weeks before you plan on spraying.  When its go time is not the time to be going to get supplies.

9.  Rate controllers are awesome.  GPS is awesome.  We can be very accurate but I'd rather be 50 gallons long than 1 gallon short on a field....especially when the field has hills on every pass and the sprayer pump looses prime 200 feet from the end. 

10.  I need to commit to spraying field borders one last time before being done for the year.  Many field are very clean with the exception of the borders/end rows.

11.  I love 2-4d and Sharpen.

12.  If it's hot and dry and weeds are not actively growing, rethink your plan.

13.  If you're going to pay a crop scout to advise and make recommendation, listen and try to follow the recs.

14.  Xtend beans won't be the answer to all our problems but hopefully they give us options.

15.  The efficacy of chemicals amazes me.  Sharpen at 1 ounce per acre solved some major headaches here.

16.  Whats the most things you've mixed in a single batch.  I think I had nine things in a few loads this year.  Water, Class Act, More AMS, RUP, Warrant, Marvel, Volunteer, Crop Oil, Interlock.