Expired Farm Bill causes uncertainty

As the end of the year is quickly approaching, many questions regarding the country’s legislation, that has expired or is set to expire soon, still remain. The election results have done little to move issues along.

Even though President Barack Obama won both the popular and electoral votes, many in the American agricultural sector are concerned what this will mean for the industry.

According to an Agri Marketing magazine post-election poll, over two-thirds of the individuals polled believe that the reelection of President Obama will have a negative effect on the country’s agriculture industry.

One of the most pressing agriculture issues facing the government is the expired farm bill.

Industry concerns:

Congress is back in session in the time known as lame duck session, when historically not much is accomplished; however, this lame duck session is expected to be more active than in years past due to the farm bill and “fiscal cliff”. Expectations are hopeful among the agriculture community for Congress to address the farm bill during the lame duck session, but it is still unclear if they will agree on some sort of resolution, either short or long term, in order to avoid resorting back to antiquated agriculture laws.

While the Republicans are pushing hard for deeper cuts in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Democrats are holding strong on smaller cuts to the program. The government keeps pushing the farm bill back and much of the controversy lies in the SNAP program; however, looking at the entire budget for the next ten years, the farm bill only accounts for a projected estimate of 2.15 percent of the total budget.

Despite the fact that SNAP is the largest chunk of the farm bill, it still is not a significant amount of the overall federal budget. At the end of the day, the amount being argued over is trivial when compared to the lack of farm bill that exists and how much it affects America’s farmers.
At this point, a large majority are losing faith that a new farm bill will be passed before January 1.

Government Concerns:

Along with the expired farm bill, the House is working on other negotiations to avoid the “fiscal cliff” at the beginning of next year. The “fiscal cliff” controversy is creating a strong push for budget cuts.

When looking at the farm bill, a major concern is the amount of money that is spent each year on SNAP and how much this amount has increased since the program started. Since many of the policies in the farm bill don’t expire until the end of the year, Congress is not seeing the immediate effects of the expired bill.

While both producers and the government are facing concerns with the expired farm bill, each side views the issue differently. Producers fear the uncertainty for next year’s planting season, while Congress is arguing over what can be cut from the budget.

The lack of a farm bill creates uncertainty and instability in the agriculture industry which trickles down to every part of the industry including application in general and equipment manufacturing – obviously top of mind for us. Without the federal government acting in interest of production agriculture by way of a farm bill that includes proactive measures in the areas of crop insurance, conservation and disaster assistance, the industry faces the potential for major setbacks. 

Five must-dos to prepare your Apache for winter

As harvest finishes in the majority of the country, the time of year has come to put most farm machinery away, including your Apache, until spring. One of the keys to keeping your sprayer in working order for next spring is proper winterization before the freezing temperatures settle in for the season.

1. Clean your Apache
Cleaning the sprayer includes both the inside and outside of the machine. While it is important to thoroughly rinse the wet system, it is equally important to give attention to the exterior of the sprayer. Proper cleaning will help prevent premature rust and corrosion. Using a pressure washer, clean the outside of the sprayer including the booms, frame and undercarriage. Additionally, remove all filters, screen tips and check valves to wash them, and then reinstall all parts to keep moisture out during the winter.

To clean the inside of the sprayer, completely rinse the entire system to ensure any chemicals aren’t left from the last application. Here is a video with a few reminders on properly flushing the wet system. 

2. Inspect the sprayer
After washing the sprayer, check it over for any cracks, chips or scratches in the paint and touch up these areas to avoid corrosion. While inspecting your Apache, take this opportunity to grease all service points on the sprayer. If any leaks are found inside the spray tank, repair them before storing the sprayer.

3. Winterize the wet system
After cleaning the sprayer’s exterior and rinsing the inside of the system, it is important to circulate antifreeze through the entire wet system to keep it from freezing during the cold months. Recreational Vehicle antifreeze is recommended since it is less toxic to animals and may be sprayed on the ground.

To start, put approximately 30 gallons of RV antifreeze in the product tank, although more may be required depending on the boom length. Following which, put an additional 5 gallons of RV antifreeze in the rinse tank. With your Apache running, turn on the product pump to circulate agitation of the antifreeze. While the pump is running, turn on each boom section until RV antifreeze comes out of the nozzles. If you are operating a 2011 or 2012 Apache model, turn on the flow back rinse switch to winterize the flow back line.

To winterize the rinse tank, turn the fill station control valve to rinse-to-pump and the agitation valve to rotoflush. After circulating for a few seconds, turn the product pump off, the agitation valve back to agitation and the fill station control valve back to product-to-pump.

If the sprayer is equipped with an eductor, put the eductor in the operation position and turn on the product pump. Open the eductor safety valve, the main eductor valve and the red tank valve. Following which, open the lid rinse valve and let the antifreeze circulate in the eductor for a few seconds and finish by closing the valves and turning off the product pump.

To run the antifreeze through the entire wet system, don’t exclude any components such as the lines that connect to the agitation and pump pressure gauges. Make sure they have antifreeze in them as well to avoid frozen gauges. Finally, open the strainer drain valve to ensure RV antifreeze is present in the strainer.

Check out this video for a more detailed step-by-step guide on winterizing your Apache’s wet system. 

4. Winterize the foam marker system 

If your Apache sprayer has a foam marker system, don’t forget to include it in the winterization process. Start by draining the foam tank and disconnecting the hoses from the foam chamber. Next, replace the strainer bowl. Then, add two quarts of windshield washer fluid, and finish by running the foam markers until windshield washer fluid comes out of the hose at the foam chamber. RV antifreeze can be used in place of the windshield washer fluid, but depending on the size of containers, the windshield washer fluid may be easier to handle.

5. Store the sprayer
The best place to house a sprayer during the winter is in a dry, storage building. Cover all openings on the sprayer to keep insects and dirt out of the system. If the sprayer is stored outside, take the time to remove all hoses. To complete the winterization process, remove the fully charged battery and any consoles from the cab and store them in a warm area. Finish by filling your Apache’s fuel tank to reduce condensation and moisture build up.

By taking good preventative practices with your Apache sprayer this fall, you will save time and repair costs in the spring. 

Apache owner building remote control AS710 model

Nathan Rowings (far right) shows off what will soon be his hydraulically-powered remote control Apache AS710 to employees at Equipment Technologies.

Nathan Rowings, an Apache AS710 sprayer owner from Greencastle, Indiana, has taken his appreciation of Apache sprayers to a whole new level.

For the past three years, Rowings has been in the process of building a scaled replica of his AS710. Not just one he can put on display, but one he can operate. His plan is to have the model sprayer hydraulically-powered by remote control and install a functioning wet system. That's right; it will actually spray water out the booms.

"I've just always been into models and RC cars growing up," said Rowings. "This is the first one I've built myself. I think it's going to turn out great."

The model is nearly identically scaled to the sprayer's engineered design. The most important tool Rowings says he is using is a jewelers blowtorch to help him weld the different pieces together. In the end, the model sprayer will get a fresh coat of Apache red paint and decals will be stuck on. Rowings says he will keep us posted on his progress and will bring his RC sprayer back to the factory when it's complete.

"I've been working on it off and on for some time, but hope to have it finished by August 2013," said Rowings.

Keep up the great work Nathan!

Enhance Your Bottom Line with Section 179

2013 AS1220 Plus II tackling 40% grades in eastern Washington.

If you've been on the fence trying to decided whether to buy new or used equipment for your operation, this is definitely the year to buy.

Section 179 is a generous tax deduction of $139,000 available for most new and used capital equipment. However, the big savings won't last. Once the calendar turns to 2013, the annual deduction limit will drastically reduce to its pre-2003 level of only $25,000. Needless to say, the savings are now!

To give you an idea of the difference in savings for when you buy, here's a breakdown comparing 2012's Section 179 deduction to the deduction change beginning January 1, 2013:

Visit ApaceEarlyBuy.com to start saving today.