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They’re Using Hot Water To Clean Up Weeds
Mike Shuter is putting his money on hot water to clean up weeds. The Indiana farmer, along with his sons Brian and Patrick, needed a non-chemical weed control. Longtime no-till soybean and strip-till corn producers, they are transitioning about 20 percent of their 3,200 acres to organic.
“We tried a fl
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They’re Using Hot Water To Clean Up Weeds CROPS Miscellaneous Mike Shuter is putting his money on hot water to clean up weeds The Indiana farmer along with his sons Brian and Patrick needed a non-chemical weed control Longtime no-till soybean and strip-till corn producers they are transitioning about 20 percent of their 3 200 acres to organic
“We tried a flamer but we rely on crop and cover crop residue to help with weed control ” says Shuter “The flamer starts fires if residue is present ”
Shuter considered electronic weed control but was concerned about the impact the electricity would have on microorganisms in the soil In addition he wanted to be able to hit late emerging weeds below the plant canopy
“We considered steam but we would need a pretty long hood to keep steam on the weed long enough to kill it ” says Shuter “Our research indicated boiling hot water would burn the plant quicker than steam It blisters the plants so they dehydrate and die ”
The Shuters got busy building a diesel-fired system with water heater water tank and 7 stainless steel hoods and nozzles to attach to a Miller Nitro sprayer While many components are off the shelf the hoods were designed by the Shuters and have been patented
The entire system is pressurized to maintain the water at temperatures above the boiling point Hydraulic hoses carry the pressurized water to the nozzles
“We are hoping to get the water temperatures up to 220 to 230 degrees Fahrenheit ” says Shuter “The hoses handle the pressure and the heat as well as insulate the water We can’t lose too much heat getting it to the nozzles ”
Completed in late summer of 2018 tests with the prototype went well The Shuters are fine-tuning their system for extended use on several sprayers in 2019 They also are considering tractor-mounted options One possibility is to mount the spray hoods to a standard row-crop cultivator A pull-type trailer could supply water with a tank hooked to the cultivator or with saddle tanks on the tractor
Shuter acknowledges that the hot water system won’t be cheap to put together Components for a 12-row system could run $50 000 to $60 000
“Most of the components are stainless steel and hydraulic hoses aren’t cheap either ” says Shuter “The biggest expense will be fabricating the stainless steel ”
The Shuters are in the process of building 12-row machines and will be working with them on Miller Nitros and Oxbo’s new sprayer
“We will be testing the process on weeds at different stages of growth ” says Shuter “We will be comparing travel speed nozzle types pressure levels and the amount of water needed If we get the right answers we will start manufacturing ”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Shuter Sunset Farms 7400 N 400 W Frankton Ind 46044 ph 765 754-7370; mike@shutersunsetfarms com; www shutersunsetfarms com
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