Topdressing.biz News: Topdressing with an Airplane rather than a Manure Spreader

We have on our website http://www.topdressing.biz deliniated the history of topdressing with wheelbarrows, shovels, topdressers and aerators, but we should not forget the bretheren todressers in Newzealand. Here is their story:
History of aerial topdressing in New Zealand - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_topdressingConcepts:
Zealand, topdressing, aircraft, edit, superphosphate, Tiger Moth, farmers, pilot, Agriculture, tons, spread, aerial-topdressing, seeds, Pritchard, air.
Summary:
Aerial topdressing is the spreading of fertilisers such as superphosphate over farm land.Aerial Topdressing was developed in New Zealand in the 1940s and was rapidly adopted elsewhere in the 1950s.For spraying of insecticides and fungicides, by air, see crop dusting, for more general information about agricultural aircraft see aerial application.The first known aerial application of agricultural materials was by John Chaytor, who in 1906 spread seed over a swamped valley floor in Wairoa, New Zealand, using a hot air balloon with mobile tethers.The first known use of a heavier than air machine occurred on 3 August 1921 when as the result of advocacy by Dr Coad, a USAAC Curtiss JN4 Jenny piloted by John MacReady was used to spread lead arsenate to kill catalpha sphinx caterpillars near Troy, Ohio in the United States.The first commercial operations were attempted in the US 1924 and use of insecticide and fungicide for crop dusting slowly spread in the Americas and to a lesser extent other nations.Crop dusting poisons enjoyed a boom in the US and Europe after World War II until the environmental impact of widespread use became clear, particularly after the publishing of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring.Spreading Superphosphate by agricultural aircraft was independently suggested by two New Zealanders, John Lambert of Hunterville and Len Daniell of Wairere in 1926.There was some publicity when in 1936 Hawkes Bay farmer Harold McHardy used a de Havilland Gypsy Moth to sow clover seed on his own land.This lead the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Council to decide to fund aerial sowing and topdressing trials to prevent erosion in 1937, but little progress was made, despite strong advocacy by Doug Campbell.Eventually Esmond Gibson would get that law change, but long before that news of early experiments was spread by an article was a published by a government pilot for the Ministry of Works who simply took the risk of publishing an article showing he broke the law.Alan Pritchard pilot for the New Zealand Public Works Department, recalls the idea of spreading seed occurred to him as he was flying E Madden of the Ministry of Works in a Moth, sharing grapes and throwing the seeds out of the open cockpits.A few months later, he was prevented from conducting an aerial survey in Northland when the Ministry's Miles Whitney Straight ZK AFH was grounded by bad weather.As a result in 1945 the Department of Agriculture estimated aerial topdressing would cost about £4 per ton of fertiliser (on a basis of 2 cwt per acre), which was economic, (in actual fact, this price turned out to be a significant overestimate).The lack of a lid for the hopper initially resulted in irritating dust spreading through the aircraft in turbulence, in cold wet conditions it was necessary to heat the hopper to prevent the fertiliser coagulating, while in dry conditions the powder tended to disperse in the wind before reaching the ground.Between the second world war and the cold war, the RNZAF was a large and competent organisation without a lot of work to do.It responded enthusiastically to Campbell's suggestion, initially proposing to use Tiger Moth and DC-3 aircraft, but concerns about corrosion lead them to use "expendable" war surplus Grumman Avengers.Trials proceeded to hill country at Te Mata near Raglan, and were extended to three other sites.The "Topdress III" trials culminated on 21 May 1949, with a demonstration drop on eleven different properties close to Masterton in front of large numbers of farmers and press.By Fieldâ¬(TM)s death in 1981, Fieldair was the largest aerial-topdressing company in New Zealand.According to legend, a hungry Fieldair pilot flying between airstrips saw a single goose which looked like dinner.A hundred feet over a gully the goose broke towards the aircraft, and hit the prop, breaking it.Wally Harding, a pioneer Waiouru farmer converted his Tiger Moth into a top dresser in 1949 to use on his own not particularly productive high country station.By 1954 the company added the first Fletcher produced to its five Tiger Moths.Ossie James was another pilot and farmer who started with a Tiger Moth salvaged from floodwaters in 1948 and progressed to owning the largest fleet of Fletchers in the country.James Aviation flew a number of DC 3s and Lodestars as well as Fletchers.James was heavily involved in the New Zealand International Field Days, Salvation Army and Waikato Aero Club.By 1956 there were 182 aerial topdressing Tigermoths but it was obvious the lightweight Tiger Moths would need to be replaced.At the beginning of the 1950s there were no specialist designs for even crop dusters, due to the proliferation of World War II surplus trainers.Bits of Harvard were used by Luigi Pellerini to make most of the bizarre twin-tailed cockpit over the engine Bennett Airtruck, flight tested at Te Kuiti in 1950, surprisingly not only had a long and successful career but was put into production (as an all new built aircraft) in Australia, becoming the Transavia Airtruck â¬" and later played a bitsa in the Mad Max movies.In Britain Auster produced the Auster Agricola and Percival the Percival EP-9 for the New Zealand market, both robust but primitive fabric covered aircraft, while in Australia the small but more advanced Yeoman Cropmaster was developed.Cable Price Corporation funded two prototypes with the New Zealand Meat Producers Board acting as financial guarantor; Gibson having brow beaten a reluctant Fletcher board into building a prototype, Airparts was formed to assemble the American kits.The first prototype was flown in America in June 1954, the second in New Zealand in September 1954 and received type approval in May 1955.The Fletcher was responsible for starting New Zealand's small aircraft building industry.Having taken over from Air Parts and AESL, Pacific Aerospace is the manufacturer of the PAC Fletcher and the similar but larger and turboprop powered PAC Cresco, as well as the PAC 750XL and PAC CT/4 Airtrainer, Pacific Aerospace of Hamilton is New Zealand's largest aircraft manufacturer.By 1958 there were 73 aerial topdressing firms in New Zealand, flying 279 aircraft - but although the amount of superphospate dropped and the acreage it fell on would continue to increase, from now on the numbers of companies aircraft and pilots dropped, as the larger more expensive Fletchers came to dominate the market and the one man companies that began in the 1940s were amalgamated.The mining of superphosphate from guano deposits on the tiny South Pacific island of Nauru temporarily made the island one of the richest nations in the world, per capita, but removed most of the soil from the island, creating a pitted moonscape.D.A. Campbell Some observations on Top dressing in New Zealand, New Zealand Journal of Science and Technology Volume X 1948 (the article which started the industry).Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Topdressing Government Press, Wellington, 1973.

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Topdressing.biz News: The Pesticide Ban according to The Orangeville Banner in trouble

http://www.northpeel.com/br/orangeville/news/story/3358223p-3886938c.html

Concepts:
Topdressing and aeration are not discussed, bylaw, pesticides, education, council, residents, meeting, cost, lawn, ban, draft bylaw, homeowner, Orangeville, lawn care, restricting, treatments.

Summary:
The cost of using alternative and organic treatments on town land, instead of pesticides, is likely beyond the town's current financial capabilities.The document, authored by the mayor's environmental advisory committee (MEAC), was met with wide criticism from both residents and members of council at Monday night's public meeting.While many cited the draft bylaw as heavy-handed, others said it wasn't restrictive enough -- but most agreed the document was confusing and, in areas, incomplete.In short, it seeks a ban during July and August, spot spraying limited to 20 per cent of a landscape within a 30-day period, and requires commercial applicators to be IPM (integrated pest management) accredited.First to comment was Deputy Mayor Jim MacGregor, who said directly he wouldn't endorse the bylaw as drafted and offered specific amendments to the document.Gail Campbell noted the bylaw makes no mention of incorporating a public education campaign -- a point that was raised several times by residents during the meeting -- and also fails to address costs to the town and the terms under which complaints would be investigated."If Orangeville wants to ensure that pesticides are being used in a responsible [manner], we would recommend an education program -- education has been a huge success in agriculture," Besley said, noting that education has enabled Ontario farmers to reduce pesticide use by roughly 52 per cent.Both men, along with owners of local lawn care companies, offered to assist the town in creating and delivering an education campaign for Orangeville residents.Christina Bonhem, an employee of Orangeville's Dufferin Garden Centre, said the bylaw needs to place more emphasis on the homeowner

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