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handling, use, application, storage, transportation and
disposal of pesticides. The Farmer Pesticide Certificate
course has been developed for producers and meets
the Standard for Pesticide Education, Training and
Certification in Canada. Not only does it provide
producers with essential information, it also provides
evidence to the public, who consume their product,
that producers hold current knowledge required to
safely and effectively apply pesticides.
Producers can obtain the Farmer Pesticide Certificate
course material from the following sources:
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online at:
http://www1.agric.gov
.
ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/prm12233
The Ag-Info Centre can also provide producers with
information regarding in-class sessions that can be
taken throughout Alberta and how and where
producers can write the certification examination.
Note: The Farmer Pesticide Certificate does
not qualify a producer to apply pesticides for
other farmers or for a fee. Producers wanting to
provide any pesticide application service off their own
property must obtain a Pesticide Applicator Certificate.
The training materials and examinations for this
certificate are offered through Lakeland College at
1-866-853-8646.
Pesticide User Responsibility
Pesticide drift
Pesticide drift is a concern for ground as well as aerial
application. Landowners are responsible for ensuring
that any pesticide applications conducted on their
property are conducted in a safe, responsible manner.
•
The choice of chemical should be made with
adjacent land uses in mind. If neighbours have
livestock, bees, shelterbelts and gardens that may
be affected by off-target drift, they should be
notified prior to application. Perhaps a different
chemical, formulation or application method will
provide the same control and greater compatibility
with neighbouring land uses.
•
All sprayers (ground or air) should be calibrated
prior to use, taking into consideration nozzle type,
nozzle pressure and boom height. Calibration will
assure better performance as well as reducing the
risk of chemical drift. The use of spray shrouds or
wind protection on the sprayer are also useful tools
to prevent spray drift. If you are hiring a custom
applicator (ground or air), be sure to ask when
the equipment was last calibrated, and be sure
to check during the application to see whether
any visible drift is occurring.
•
Some adjuvants or stickers can help reduce
spray drift.
•
Buffer strips should be left when applying
pesticides next to sensitive crops, watersheds and
farmsteads. The size of these strips may be
specified on the pesticide label, but if not, then the
size will depend on the chemical used, the
application method and the degree of risk from
escaping drift. Pesticide applications conducted
near rivers, creeks, lakes, irrigation canals or other
open bodies of water require extra care and
caution to ensure water users will not be affected
by the proposed pesticide application and that the
application is conducted in a manner that will not
adversely affect aquatic or riparian habitats.
Ideally, natural vegetation should be left along
natural water bodies to ensure bank stability and
to provide a natural buffer and filter for
agricultural chemicals. A Special Use Approval
must be obtained from Alberta Environment to
perform pesticide applications within 30 metres of
an open body of water when the adjacent land is
unimproved rangeland, pasture or woodlot.
Certified applicators applying pesticides within 30
metres of an open body of water do not require a
Special Use Approval as long as the pesticide they
are using is identified in the Environmental Code
of Practice for pesticides and they are following the
conditions of application specified in the code.
•
Pesticides should not be sprayed when winds are
excessive (generally winds over 16 km/hr are
considered a drift hazard). Pesticides should only
be sprayed when winds are blowing away from
farmsteads, sensitive crops or water bodies.
Conditions of “dead-calm” or temperature inversions
or gusting should also be avoided to prevent vapour
clouds. A suitable drift retardant additive to the
spray tank may help reduce the potential drift
hazard associated with the spraying of pesticides.
•
Appropriate nozzles that produce a good droplet
size range and minimize the production of fine
droplets are an important drift management tool.
•
Always assess the risk to adjacent landowners, and
never push weather conditions to meet deadlines. If
completing an application as planned may mean
damaging your neighbour’s property, postpone
the application or modify it to prevent off-target
damage. Landowners can be held liable for pesticide