Improving the Bottom Line with On Target
Nathan Longcrier, manager of table grapes for Sun Pacific, isn’t keen on providing the competition a leg up. But asked if he’d recommend On Target Spray Systems electrostatic sprayers, he said he also isn’t keen on lying.
“I don’t like to give too much help to the competition, but it is a good product,” he said. “You’ve got to tell the truth. It’s a good product and I’d recommend it.”
Longcrier likes that with On Target he can get product right where it is needed, optimizing the benefits he obtains from his sprays and improving his bottom line.
“We’re not hitting the leaves so much,” he said. “We’re hitting bunches. I’ve noticed good uniformity on sizing sprays. And we are able to conduct the late-season fungicide sprays and not spot things.
“We’re getting more number ones,” he said. “In the end, we’re just able to make a better box, and that is very important for the bottom line.”
Longcrier first started using On Target sprayers four years ago while working for a competing table grape grower. Today, he uses the patented On Target technology “as much as we can.”
“We didn’t have enough rigs last year to do all of our acres,” he said. “We only had two. We’re buying two more. We’re using them more and more every year as we get more machines.”
Longcrier attributes the superior performance he receives from On Target electrostatic sprayers to its superior design.
“I feel more confident in the charging of the On Targets,” he said. “You get a better charge. The particle is not just running past (an electrostatic) field. It is actually going through something and getting charged.
“And the water rate is lower. We’re using 15 gallons to the acre, compared to between 50 and 60 gallons with some other electrostatic sprayers. So you get less spotting and you get good coverage,” Longcrier said. “I feel we can send a more concentrated mist of the product into the bunch. We can get the spray where we want it and not throw it up in the air.
“We are just real happy with the On Target sprayers,” he said. “We are going to be moving to them more and more.”