Pesticide SafetyPlan of Work

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Gallatin County CES

Title:
Pesticide Safety
MAP:
The Environment and Natural Resources
Agents Involved:
Hull
MAJOR PROGRAM 1:
Pesticide Safety – Plant Pests
MAJOR PROGRAM 2:
Ag Water Quality Program
MAJOR PROGRAM 3:
Integrated Plant Pest Management
Situation:
Chemical application at its best is simultaneously safe, effective, economical, and environmentally-conscious. Achieving each of these attributes for plant pest management is an ongoing educational process for a variety of applicator groups, including farm managers and workers, gardeners, crop advisors, point-of-sale employees, and industry and government agency representatives. This process will include educational sessions, hands-on demonstrations, test plots, coordinated recommendations, and site-specific farm visits by various extension personnel. In addition to timely and relevant updates on new chemicals, focus areas are chemical safety, efficacious usage, and integration of diversified approaches alongside chemicals. Attention to these foci will benefit not only applicators, but anyone who comes in contact with agricultural fields or uses Kentucky food, fuel, and fiber crops as part of everyday life.

Long-Term Outcomes:

Maximize profits for commercial ag producer

Minimize environmental, impact of air, soil, or living area

Reduction of drift related complaints and damage

Reduction in rate of pesticide resistance development in pests, weeds, pathogens

Improve sustainability of crop production systems

Reduction of crop injury due topesticide applications (rate, compatibility, application conditions)

Intermediate Outcomes:

Successfully complete

PAT and training workers in worker protection standards (WPS)

Use diagnostic services to identify insects, disease, weeds

Use diagnostic, agent, specialist recommendations

Compare chemical options based on time, availability, cost, companion tactics

Design effective spray schedules for plant pest management

Evaluate chemical storage, handling, and disposal

Adopt one or more storage, handling, disposal recommendations

Adopt recommended application techniques

Calibrate sprayer, select appropriate nozzles and pressure, test spray water

Record chemical use, frequency, timing, tank mixes

Post signage for recently applied chemicals

Select materials based on REI, PHI, residues

Communicate with owners/users of pesticide-sensitive areas (beeyards, sensitive crops, etc.)

Initial Outcomes:

Demonstrate proper use of sprayers and equipment related to application (calibration, nozzle selection, boom height, etc.)

Identify active ingredients in chemical products and relate to modes of action

Read and comprehend directions for applying chemicals (timing, application conditions)

Observe proper chemical handling, storage, and cleanup in home, farm, or business

Chemical selection, mixing, compatibility, adjuvants

Understanding drift mitigation methods

Understanding IPM (triggers to spray, thresholds, etc.)

Identify pesticide-sensitive areas around fields

Increase understanding of homeowner/gardener pest management tactics

Evaluation:

Initial Outcome:

Indicator: Participants can read and understand pesticide labels and know where to find further information about any particular product.

Method: End of meeting evaluations

Timeline: Immediate


Intermediate Outcome:

Indicator: Participants will correctly choose and properly apply pesticides

Method: Follow-up surveys

Timeline: 3  - 6 months


Long-term Outcome:

Indicator: Participants will become competent in making pesticide application decisions, reducing the number of improper pesticide applications

Method: Follow-up surveys

Timeline: 6 months - 1 year

Learning Opportunities:

Audience: Farm managers and/or owners, Farm workers, Non-English speaking audience (and interpreters), Gardeners, Homeowners, Point-of-sale employees, Custom applicators, Landscape/ turf maintenance professionals,Beekeepers

Project or Activity: "The Label is the Law: Applying Pesticides Correctly"

Content or Curriculum: Classroom program designed to show how to correctly interpret any pesticide label and to show that everything one needs to know about a particular pesticide is on that label.

Inputs: UK/KSU college of Ag Professionals (agents, specialists), Publications,

Research information, Diagnostic centers, Spanish language materials, State and federal agencies (ex: KDA, NRCS, EPA)

Date: Fall 2017, Winter 2018


Audience: Farm managers and/or owners, Farm workers, Non-English speaking audience (and interpreters)

Project or Activity: Private Applicator Training (PAT)

Content or Curriculum: Lecture and video based classroom program

Inputs: UK PAT videos, UK publications, KDA information

Date: January 2018


Audience: Gardeners, Homeowners

Project or Activity: "What to Spray and When: A Pesticide Program for Home Gardeners"

Content or Curriculum: A classroom program with a hands-on component that is geared towards teaching homeowners and home gardeners how to take the mystery out of using commercial pesticides. Pesticide safety and small batch mixing included.

Inputs: UK Publications, Agent developed presentation, small scale spray equipment

Date: Spring 2018



Success Stories

Twilight Pasture Walks in Gallatin County

Author: David Hull

Major Program: Integrated Plant Pest Management

The concept of doing twilight pasture walks in Gallatin County started in 2019; and because of the popularity of walks, it has remained in our programming repertoire. Because of the negative attention that agricultural chemicals so commonly receive, some landowners are hesitant to apply herbicides to pastures and hay fields. In a effort to help these landowners determine whether or not a herbicide applications is warranted, the Gallatin County Extension Service conducted several Twilight Pa

Full Story
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