Episode
366: What Most Farmers Get Wrong About Surfactants
- Podcast
- A Better Way To Farm Podcast
- Published
- May 12, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 740
- Processing state
not_requested
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Summary
Surfactants can make or break your spray program. But with thousands of products on the market, many farmers are left wondering: What actually matters? What works? And what is just adding cost and confusion? In this episode, Rod breaks down the role surfactants play in: • Pre-emerge applications • Post-emerge spraying • Foliar feeding • Fungicide and insecticide passes You’ll learn why different spray situations require different approaches and why “one-size-fits-all” products can sometimes create more problems than they solve. Rod also explains: • When an MSO is necessary • Why water pH matters more than most farmers realize • The real purpose of ammonium sulfate • How anti-drift and anti-foam products work • Why coverage on the underside of the leaf is critical • How to improve chemical performance without wasting money Plus, Rod shares a simple at-home test farmers can use to evaluate surfactant performance and the affordable tool he recommends every operation should have. If you want better spray coverage, improved chemical performance, and stronger ROI from every pass across the field, this episode is packed with practical takeaways you can use immediately. Questions about surfactants or spray applications? Text Karen at 641-919-5570 and the team at A Better Way to Farm will be happy to help. Remember: “Good enough is not a standard.” And in tight-margin years, details matter more than ever.