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Nutrien Ag Solutions

4.5
  • 1,000 - 50,000 employees

James Sinnamon

I always try and start the workday with a plan formulation. Today I hope to get out to a few places and have a look at a few Mungbean paddocks that have been sprayed or are going to be sprayed.

Tuesday the seventh of March 2022

6.30 AM

I usually wake up by 6.30 am as I like to relax before work. I always start the day with 4 Weetabix while catching up with news and often social media

7.40 AM

By this time, I am ready to head to work. I try and leave the house by 7.45 am.

7.50 AM

It is a short trip to work that often coincides with ads on the radio stations.

7.55 AM

I usually open the store. This mainly involves opening the roller doors and the front gate. It also gives me a chance to give myself a quick mental stock take. I often have something to do that will require some attention in some spare time today. Today I found some empty pallet spaces that I think I can move some product into that will make it more accessible to the staff within the store.

Nutrien Ag Solutions - James Sinnamon office

8.00 AM

By 8.00 am most staff have arrived and any discussions regarding product movements or enquires are conversed. Today there was a drum of Kamba M 20L to be delivered, I said I could take it as I was heading that way anyway.

8.10 AM

I always try and start the workday with a plan formulation. Today I hope to get out to a few places and have a look at a few Mungbean paddocks that have been sprayed or are going to be sprayed. My plans are often very rough. They may or may not all happen, but I figure its good to have some direction throughout the day. Below is my plan for today *Weather permitting *

8.15 AM

We had rain last night, so I am going to ring a few people to see how much rain they had. I feel as it is a good conversation starter and people aprricate you are having an interest.

8.45 AM

Paperwork. I have to catch up on some correspondence that I may have missed. Particularly I need to convert some of my recommendations to actuals to signify that that paddock had been sprayed. I think this is required as it provides a continuous record of events particularly if something were to happen.

9.30 AM

I have got some soil tests that results have come back. It is important for me to attend to these. They will take some time to complete so I have left some extra time to complete these.

10.30 AM

I am becoming a bit bored of soil tests, so I decide to head out to the shed to do a few jobs. First on the list is the pallet space issue. I jump on the forklift and it’s a matter of moving and restacking products to the bottom row. I like to be able to group products in their respective uses i.e. herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and wetter’s. Its also very satisfying when the shed is neat, and things are put away.

Nutrien Ag Solutions - James Sinnamon forklift

11.00 AM

Back to soil tests now. I haven’t got much left to do. Things just need a tidy up and extra spell and grammar check.

11.30 AM

I now ring the client to tell them that their soil tests are ready. I usually give them the option if they would like me to explain it to them or if I would email them with the results and then catch up with them if they have any questions. This client chose the latter, so I send them an email and note in my diary to catch up with them in a few days to see if they have had a look at them and discuss them.

12.00 PM

Its now lunch time. I usually am not much of eater during the day so today I just have a bit of leftovers and a coffee.

12.45 PM

Now that lunch is over, I get ready to head out. I will swing most people a text to let them know I will be checking some of there crops this afternoon so that they are aware. I load the car up and pack some gumboots! Finally, I ask the office staff if they have anything to head out the way I am heading. The answer is no so I am ready to go.

12.50 PM

My destination today is a small town called Jambin which is about 25 minutes north of Biloela.

1.15 PM

The first paddock to see today is 100 hectares of mungbean’s that have just been desiccated. I am here today to check the spray job (for my own interest) and identify any weeds that might be emerging. This crop in particular has run out of moisture, so the crop is maturing very quickly. I predict that it should be ready to harvest in the next 2- 3 weeks. This was a quick trip as there is very little I can do now; I was purely interested in how the spray job went.

Nutrien Ag Solutions - James Sinnamon paddock

1.45 PM

The next paddock is only a few kilometers up the road. This is another 100-hectare block that is about a month and a half old. I check these paddocks using a 1m x 1m sheet of plastic also known as a ‘beat sheet’. This process involves walking into a paddock and finding a complete row of plants, using a stick I then hit the plants in a motion onto the sheet causing all insects to fall from plant onto sheet. From there I will take a count of insects that I can see. I then continue to walk through the paddock and find another 4 spots. There are quite a few insects in this paddock, but I will continue to assess the rest of the paddock by going throughout the block to try and get a good sampl.

Nutrien Ag Solutions - James Sinnamon insect

2.30 PM

I have taken a total of 6 samples throughout the paddock with varying but consistent results. I will now need to work out if the paddock needs spraying or not. In general, I use thresholds as a form of measurement to determine if it needs spraying. In short, the calculations are based on the crops value, the cost of control and the damage the insects (per m squared which is calculated by average insect counts across all locations divided by row spacing) are causing. The resulting value is then contrasted with industry standards and a result is found. I found that this paddock needs to be sprayed.

Nutrien Ag Solutions - James Sinnamon paddock

2.45 PM

Now that I know that this paddock needs to be sprayed, I ring the landholder to let him know. Once he is happy for it to be sprayed, we organize a time for the contractor. I then make a note of the insects found so I can create an official recommendation when I get back to the office.

3.15 PM

I can now have a drive around the other paddocks on the property to identify any problem weeds that may be growing in the fallow country. These paddocks have been sprayed so there is no real threat here.

3.30 PM

I can now leave this property to head to another property on the way home. It has only recently been sprayed for insects

3.45 PM

I am now at this other property and can check for any insect damage or populations using my beat sheet. Since there is nothing to be seen I can be confident the paddock is clear of any risk. It will be very interesting to see how this crop improves following the recent rainfall events.

4.10 PM

I can now leave this property and head back to the office

4.35 PM

Once back in the office I can now do my recommendations for the paddock checked today. I check my notes as to bug populations and input them into my recommendation program. I then input my insecticides and application notes into the program. This will then provide me with a set out table of rates of insecticides used and the total amount of chemical required. Once this is finalized, I can now email this through to the grower to get his final opinion. I will wait on his response before contacting the contractor to spray.

5.00 PM

Knockoff. I head home.

5.30 PM

I have got Rugby training tonight at 6:30 pm in Moura which is 45 minutes west of here. I will organize to pick up another player on the way there.

5.45 PM

Leave for rugby

6.30 PM

Arrive in Moura

Nutrien Ag Solutions - James Sinnamon rugby

7.45 PM

Training finishes

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