Best Management Practices - Farm
Best Management Practices
Pesticide Use Tips
- Minimize groundwater and surface water contamination by following label directions exactly. The label's use instructions, approved by the EPA, have been carefully developed after many years of study and testing.
- Avoid the temptation to use more product than the label directs. Overdosing will not do a better job of controlling the pests, it will only increase both the cost of the pest control and the chance that the material may reach groundwater or a surface water body.
- Create one location as a mixing, loading, and storage area. Avoid locating loading and mixing areas near wells, high runoff areas or surface water bodies.
- Apply pesticides when they are most effective in terms of temperature, wind, and moisture conditions.
- Calibrate application equipment at the beginning of the growing season and then re-calibrate regularly during the growing season. The required quantity of pesticide should be carefully measured to insure proper application rates and to prevent leftover tank mixes.
- Formulate comprehensive pest management plans that allow for safe pesticide use and reduce the potential for contamination of water resources.
- Understand that improper disposal of pesticide waste can cause surface or groundwater contamination. A good way to prepare containers for disposal is to pressure rinse them, returning the rinse water to the spray tank.
- Avoid back-siphoning by keeping the end of the hose above the fluid level in the tank. A hose placed into the pesticide mixture could back-siphon directly into you well if the pump is turned off or if it quits due to power failure.
- Do not mix or apply chemicals near your well.
- Use crop residues to protect cultivated fields during critical erosion periods
Resources
|
|