Kestrel 5500AG Agricultural Weather Meter (0850AGLHVG)

Kestrel 5500AG Agricultural Weather Meter (0850AGLHVG)

Evolved from the realities of a present need to get environmental conditions to make appropriate decisions around when to spray.  With spraying heavy chemicals like the newly approved Dicamba, or for infesting crops such as palmer pigweed, agriculture sprayers need to be extremely sensitive when making assessments to spraying decisions where both wind speed and direction must be recorded. If you are this farmer, you need a Kestrel 5500 AG meter in your toolbox.  It will deliver spot measurements, log and store data, and aid in auditing and record keeping. It may even save you at a day in court.  That’s the reality with Dicamba approaching active use for spring and summer spraying.  The Kestrel 5500AG is easily carried in a pocket, belt clip, or glove box and is ready to help whenever and wherever needed.

There a LOT of features to this meter.  It’s a very easy interface.  You can turn off the readings you don’t want to see, you can easily create a ‘User screen’ that gives you just the measurements you want to see.  You can also use our free app (see below for screenshots) to view conditions in real time from in your cab from up to 100 feet away, or set it up to log data in intervals of: Interval store rate options: 2s, 5s, 10s, 20s, 30s, 1m, 2m, 5m, 10m, 20m, 30m, 1hr, 2hr, 6hr, & 12hr.

Be prepared.  Nobody wants to be in court with their neighbor. This meter takes it beyond the old school method of ‘sure looks windy today, better not spray’.  Ideally we spray when it’s 3-10mph, and it is illegal to spray at 15mph!  You can know exactly what it is when you spray, know the average, and log it with a date stamp for your records.  Combine this with the GPS on your phone for a location stamp, and you have prepared yourself for safe spraying.  

Spray Management

The Kestrel 5500AG provides Delta T measurements to aid in assessing acceptable spraying conditions and ensure you’re within guidelines. This is common practice in Australia and other countries globally.  Briefly, the Delta T reading on this meter will tell you whether it is safe to spray based on environmental conditions, including ambient temperature, dew point, wind, and thereby thermal drift.  This reading is instant and in the palm of your hand.  Read more about Delta T.  Every farmer who sprays should have this tool and know this reading.  It’s only recently that farmers are being pushed to educated themselves on this at a more broad scale across the US.  Based upon ambient temperature and dew point, Delta-T provides guidance on the evaporation rate of sprayed chemicals to help you select the right spray nozzle. The compass provides direction to minimize spray drift. The Kestrel 5500AG calculates and logs on-site Delta T, wind speed, and direction without any additional user input. When combined with the Kestrel’s average wind and max wind gust measurements, agriculture professionals can ensure they spray safely, every time.

Learn more about Delta T readings and how it’s used for spray management around the world.  

Delta T: A numberic reading on the screen of our Kestrel Meter  measuring the evaporation rate and lifetime of a droplet.   A Delta T between 2 and 8 is ideal for spraying, and should never be higher than 10.

Who:  Who uses Delta T?  Farmers spraying any sort of fertilizer.

Why: Why do we use Delta T?  A Delta T is a key indicator.

• Know when to spray or not to spray
• Ensure droplets remain on your property.
• Prevent drift of spray off to neighboring properties, you other crops, or neearby subdivisions.

When: When do we check Delta T?  Before you spray.  Log your date, time, wind speed, wind direction, temperature, relative humidity and your Deltat T.  All with your Kestrel 5500 AG.   Use your phone or tablet to log your exact location.

How: How do I check Delta T?  Very simple, just scroll to the Delta T screen on your Kestrel and read it.  Or you can set up a user screen to view 3 of your most common desired readings on 1 screen.

What is Delta T: Technically, a measurement calculated by the dry bulb temperature minus the wet bulb temperature

Logging Data: Can I log the data? As with any Kestrel 5000+ series you can log your data on the kestrel with a date / time stamp and all environmental conditions at that time.  With the back of the meter to the wind, simply hold it up, and take a data capture.

How do I Export? With the recommended LiNK (bluetooth) model, you would simple take that reading from your phone and export it.  (email it to yourself).  

Lawsuits:  We’re all familiar with the massive lawsuits as of late with the EPA Dicamba, a quick Google search will show you lawsuits against farmers, neighbors, and Monsanto itself.  Protect yourself!  Spray safe, know your state regulations, register your use, and show the time stamped environmental data to prove you did the right thing.  

WEATHER GUIDELINES FOR PESTICIDE SPRAYING

• Read the product label and follow all label instructions.
• Spray when wind is steady and ideally 2-9 mph.
• Avoid variable or gusty wind conditions.
• Avoid calm conditions – small droplets may remain suspended for long periods.
• Spray when wind blows away from sensitive areas.
• Avoid spraying in temperatures above 82 °C.
• Aim to spray when Delta T is between 2 and 8 and not greater than 10.
• Do not spray when inversion conditions exist.
• Aim to spray when the atmosphere is neutrally stable.
• Most chemicals require a rain free period – check the label.
• Be aware of local topographic and convective influences on wind speed and direction.
• Record on-site weather conditions at spray time.

Using the Kestrel 5500AG can help you with a lot of this, avoiding poor spraying and a lawsuit.

• Time/Date stamp
• Wind Speed
• Wind Direction
• Delta T

Heat Stress Management with THI:

THI, (Temperature-Humidity Index)  has been used for decades as a measure to classify heat stress risk in many livestock production and transportation operations. This measurement includes both temperature and relative humidity and is a basis for both strategic and tactical management practices which benefit animal health, productivity and well-being. The Kestrel 5500AG calculates and logs on-site THI based on user selection of either the NRC(National Research Council, 1971) or Yousef (Yousef, 1985) accepted THI calculations. Objective and accurate site-specific measurements are critical to ensuring a heat stress management strategy that is cost effective; and they’re at your fingertips with the 5500AG.

Barn / Housing Ventilation Assessments:

Regardless of the type of barn/house design all livestock require proper ventilation and air movement to maximize health, growth, and comfort.  The Kestrel 5500AG provides wind speed and air flow measurements to quickly quantify air movement in the vicinity of livestock, locate drafts, measure fan effectiveness and confirm duct discharge velocity. Volume air flow takes duct shape and dimensions into account and allows for accurate comparison of various locations in a system. No calculator is needed to determine airflow with the Kestrel 5500AG – a few quick menu picks and built-in averaging gives you accurate readings instantly.

Microclimate, Harvest and Storage Conditions:

Many livestock professionals also grow and store grains, hay and other feedstuffs. The Kestrel 5500AG can measure micro-climates around the farm to determine where mold and disease may be a problem, ensuring conditions are right for harvesting, drying, and storage. Leave the Kestrel 5500AG in place anywhere in the field, barn or greenhouse to get a graphical history of overnight conditions, (the Kestrel 5 Series Rotating Vane Mount and a ¼-20 camera clamp or tripod makes it easy).