Todd County CES

Title:

Chemical Management

MAP:

Improving Agriculture Production and Management

Agents Involved:

Curt Judy

MAJOR PROGRAM 1:

Chemical Management

MAJOR PROGRAM 2:

Integrated Pest Management

MAJOR PROGRAM 3:

Water and Soil Quality and Conservation

Situation:

Todd County is a rural county with major focuses on farming and forestry. In order for these industries to be sustainable, the local natural resources must be conserved and protected. Educating Todd County farmers on how to use pesticides safely and with an awareness of their impacts on the overall environment is a high priority.

Pesticides have been used to control weeds, insects, and diseases, etc., in Todd County agriculture for over sixty years. Farmers, both active and retired, have old pesticides that they never intend to use again, stored on their farms or at their homes. These unwanted chemicals would pose a risk to health and the environment if their containers were to be ripped, punctured or broken, releasing the chemical into the environment. Over 25,000 pounds of old Todd County agricultural chemicals have been picked up and disposed since the spring of 1999, with more than 90 farmers having chemical pickups. Although most of the old chemicals are gone, we will continue to encourage farmers to participate in this program to remove unwanted chemicals from Todd County farms.

The issue of pests developing resistance to chemicals is a growing problem in agriculture. Kentucky (and Todd County) already has significant populations of resistant pests--particularly weeds. Glyphosate-resistant marestail is probably our most common resistant weed, but most farmers have learned to control it in their crops. We have more serious resistance issues with Italian ryegrass, Palmar amaranth, waterhemp, etc. Because fruits are vegetables are major crops in the county, many producers will be adversely affected by any resistance issues that develop with specialty crop insecticides and fungicides. Farmers have always tended to be pragmatic--they use the pesticides that work for them, and they sometimes use them over and over. But the increase in herbicide-resistant weeds is helping many of them understand how their chemical choices can be a factor in the development of resistant pests.

Long-Term Outcomes:

Todd County farms will become environmentally cleaner and safer places to live as farmers and land owners get rid of old, unwanted chemicals and dispose of them through environmentally-safe processes. Landfill space will be saved when empty chemical containers are recycled through the Rinse, Return, and Recycle program. Producers will handle, store and use chemicals in a safe manner, and use chemicals practices that discourage the development of pesticide resistance.

Intermediate Outcomes:

--Farmers and agribusiness will dispose of unwanted agricultural chemicals through participation in the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Unwanted Chemical Collection/Disposal Program and will safely dispose of empty pesticide containers.

--Farmers begin to utilize practices that discourage the development of pesticide resistance.

Initial Outcomes:

--Farmers attending Pesticide Certification Training will receive training needed to be safe, effective users of agricultural pesticides.

--Farmers will receive training to help them better understand how chemical resistance develops in weeds, insects, and diseases.

--Farmers and land owners are made aware and/or reminded of the opportunity to get rid of old, unwanted chemicals through KDA’s Unwanted Chemical Disposal program.

--Farmers and agribusiness are made aware and/or reminded of the opportunity to recycle empty, clean pesticide containers through the Rinse, Return, and Recycle program

Evaluation:

Initial Outcomes:

--Farmers attending Pesticide Certification Training will receive training needed to be safe, effective users of agricultural pesticides.

--Farmers attending Pesticide Certification Training will receive training on the basics of the Federal Worker Protection Standards.

--Farmers and land owners are made aware and/or reminded of the opportunity to get rid of old, unwanted chemicals through KDA’s Unwanted Chemical Disposal program.

--Farmers and agribusiness are made aware and/or reminded of the opportunity to recycle empty, clean pesticide containers through the Rinse, Return, and Recycle program

--Farmers attending pesticide resistance training will learn about how pests develop resistance to agricultural chemicals and how that development can be slowed

Indicator: Knowledge gained, intentions measured

Method: Surveys and/or farmer reports

Timeline: Program year

Intermediate Outcome: Farmers and agribusiness will dispose of unwanted agricultural chemicals through participation in KDA’s Unwanted Chemical Collection/Disposal Program and will recycle empty pesticide containers.

Indicator: Pounds of chemicals disposed of and pounds of plastic jugs recycled

Method: KDA records and/or farmer reports

Timeline: Program year

Long-term Outcome: Todd County farms will become environmentally cleaner and safer places to live as farmers and land owners get rid of old, unwanted chemicals and dispose of them through environmentally-safe processes. Less landfill space will be consumed by empty chemical containers when those containers are recycled through the Rinse, Return, and Recycle program.

Indicators: Pounds of chemicals disposed of and pounds of plastic jugs recycled

Method: KDA records (if accessible) and/or farmer reports

Timeline: Accumulative results will be tracked over the 4-year plan of work

Learning Opportunities:

Audience: Farmers

Project or Activity: Pesticide training & farm visits

Content or Curriculum: UK pesticide training materials plus custom materials

Inputs: Agent time

Date: Mostly winter & spring

Audience: Farmers

Project or Activity: Newsletter and newspaper articles

Content or Curriculum: Information about chemical jug recycling, waste chemical pickup, and/or pesticide resistance.

Inputs: Agent time

Date: As appropriate during the year

Audience: Farmers

Project or Activity: Information about pesticide resistance in Private Applicator Training

Content or Curriculum: Information about pesticide resistance in weeds and other pests

Inputs: Agent time

Date: Late winter/early spring

Success Stories