Success StorySpray Clinic Teaches Stewardship



Spray Clinic Teaches Stewardship

Author: Matthew Adams

Planning Unit: Hardin County CES

Major Program: Pesticide Safety – Plant Pests

Plan of Work: Agricultural Integrated Pest Management

Outcome: Initial Outcome

Herbicide application has evolved into a scientific process.  With new products and technologies, new risks are also exposed.  Technologies developed to help combat herbicide resistant weeds, such as Dicamba and 2, 4-D Tolerant soybeans, have increased risks to applicators.

Because of these increased risks, Hardin and Larue County Extension partnered to bring forth the Heartland Spray Clinic.  In this half day clinic, led by Extension Agents Matt Adams and Daniel Carpenter, as well as UK Weeds Specialist Dr Travis Leglieter and UK Biosystems Ag Engineering's Dr Tim Stombaugh, producers learned about pesticide stewardship, sprayer calibration and tip selection, drift reduction strategies and innovative spray equipment technologies. 

Dr Leglieter also showcased his spray table, which gives a visual representation on how nozzle selection and pressure effect the amount of driftable fines produced in the spray pattern