Ross Tanner from Tanner Spraying.
When the vine killing disease PSA hit the kiwifruit industry, Katikati spraying contractor Ross Tanner thought his days in business were numbered.
Growers didn't' want him on their properties because they thought the machinery taken from one orchard to the next would spread the disease.
And, so many vines were being cut out the future of the entire industry looked very bleak.
In fact, since the arrival of PSA, his business has flourished.
The disease is partially controlled by the application of copper sprays.
Ross says before PSA an average of eight to ten sprays were applied to a kiwifruit orchard each year. Now that number is 20 to 25.
"All the spray contractors had a lot of money invested in machinery and we thought we were all going to go broke over night...it sort of went the other way and we had to buy more machinery to keep the growers happy to get the jobs done."
PSA tends to spread in wet weather and Ross says watching a big rain event approach is stressful because he knows every kiwifruit grower will want sprays applied at the same time.
