Drenching Backpack Best Practise For Farmers
Animal health care company Merial New Zealand is supporting a Paihiatua sheep farmer in his efforts to promote a drench
backpack.
The specialised backpack is designed to ease operator fatigue, increase efficiency and reduce waste says Merial
marketing manager Helen Schofield.
"We advocate a whole farm approach in our best practice strategies for farmers. When we saw the backpack at Fieldays, we
knew it would make a huge difference to farm practice so we approached the designer to make it for us," she says.
Designed by Paihiatua farmer Lincoln Grant, the slimline backpack – Ezepak – is being promoted with Triton triple
drench. It has a gun holster and a padded waste belt freeing both hands to catch a sheep, draft or complete other tasks
without removing the equipment.
The backpack is also designed to overcome the problem of animals getting caught in the draw-off hose, often breaking the
cap or pulling the hose off and spilling valuable product.
"The pack has keepers on the side to feed the hose up behind the arm of the operator and out of the way," says
Schofield.
Ezepak won the Ingenious Method Award at this year's Fieldays and Lincoln Grant says the backpack came about from his
own frustrating experiences with drenching.
"I found the usual method of threading webbing through the lugs on a bottle to fashion a harness uncomfortable. Not only
that, it was difficult to put on and take off and tended to slide around on your back. I'd been thinking about designing
a new pack for years, and now it's reality I'm thrilled with the way it's taking off."
Helen Schofield says Ezepak has wide appeal because it alleviates common problems faced by farmers on a daily basis.
"The bottom line is it makes drenching easier and healthier for farmers," she says.