D4-Grower & Marketer, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 6, 2003
10 Real-Life Lessons In ‘What Went Wrong ’ With Pesticide Use
ANDY ANDREWS
Editor
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) Former extension agent
and now private consultant Eric
Vorodi would probably tell you
that experience is the best teach
er.
And what experience in deal
ing with pesticides has told him is
this: “Know everything there is to
know about pests before you
begin to willy-nilly spread pesti
cides around,” he said.
Vorodi, Boiling Springs, who
served as a Dauphin County hor
ticulture agent, spoke literally
about “What Went Wrong” in
dealing with pesticides in mid-
November this year at the Power
Expo 2003.
Vorodi provided 10 examples
of what happened to crops and
people when they handled or
applied pesticides the wrong way.
“All 10 are real, true-life sto
ries that happened to me or were
related to me by someone I
know," said the former Penn
State extension agent.
The first story involved a nurs
eryman who was trying to control
an infestation of Fletcher Scale
on arborvitae. The coverage area
was about three acres, and he se
lected the insecticide, Dursban,
making three applications per
vear for three years
Unfortunately, the material
was ineffective What happened?
The agents looked at several fac
tors, including pest identification
(it was correct), the sprayer and
application and label rate (all
correct), spray row distances, and
other parameters. They all check
ed OK. The problem? Proper
timing the lifecycle of the
crawlers after egg hatch has to be
timed early enough, early to mid-
July. to get the most control. The
Using Pickup Commercially? You Could Be Subject To Inspection
ANDY ANDREWS
Editor
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) Pickup trucks can be subject
to state roadside inspections, es
pecially if those trucks are being
used commercially in any form,
according to Dan Smyser, chief,
Motor Carrier Division, Penn-
DOT.
And that even includes horse
trailers or hauling anything for
money or prizes.
Smyser, along with a Pennsyl
vania State Police trooper, pro
vided a truck/trailer inspection
demonstration during the Power
Expo 2003 conducted at the
Farm Show Complex in Harris
burg.
About 100 spectators came to
see exactly what the police will be
looking for when inspecting
trucks with a manufacturer gross
vehicle weight rating of 17,600
pounds or more, for in-state. Out
of state, or interstate, commerce
would mean a rating in
excess of 10,000 pounds
per truck.
According to Smyser,
perhaps 99 out of 100
times, if you are in a
pickup truck, you prob-
ably will simply get
waved through. But if
you haul for others or
carry hazardous mated-
1
Eric Blauch,
Palmyra, looks
over a front-loader
equipment simula
tor at the Power
Expo 2003 at the
Harrisburg Farm
Show Complex.
grower readjusted the timing and
had complete control with the
first application.
Trouble is, the grower spent
$6OO before finding this out.
The second story involves
grape and tomato plants that
were apparently injured by some
sort of herbicide. The grower
thought a landscape applicator
was unaware of spray drift of
2,4-D. The 2,4-D formulation is
effective on broadleaf plants,
which is correct.
Without jumping to conclu
sions about the landscape appli
cator, a local farmer was inter
viewed, who kept records that
indicated a corn planting in
cluded weed spray all docu
mented. The farmer used 2,4-D
and Banvil for several days
days favorable for drift.
“Good records go a long way
toward proving negligence,”
noted Vorodi.
The third story involved previ
ously large, vigorous hostas
growing under ideal conditions in
a landscape. They came up in the
spring, however, showing stunt
ing and distortion, and eventual
ly died.
What happened? Evidently a
landscape applicator spot-treated
weeds with a backpack sprayer,
with a large orifice nozzle, low
pressure, and no drift, spraying
Roundup.
“It is possible, even under ideal
conditions, for herbicide drift to
occur,” said Vorodi. “Drift is oc
curring much more frequently
that you think it is - virtually all
the time.”
Vorodi said that using Round
up in close proximity to sensitive
plants is “not recommended.” He
told growers to eliminate drift by
using a shield, set the spray to
low pressure, or use a safer alter
al, you may be inspected
About 160,000-180,000 trucks
use Pennsylvania highways. The
state did about 181,000 inspec
tions last year, according to the
motor carrier chief.
To pass inspection, follow
these tips:
• Make sure you have a driv
er’s license with the correct class
ification.
• Have a medical examiner’s
certificate ready.
• Carry documentation about
what you are hauling, particular
ly if you are getting paid to haul
it.
• If you use the truck for per
sonal business, “prove that to us
be honest,” said Brian Living
ston, state trooper.
“It’s all communications,
folks,” said Smyser of PennDOT.
“Tell us what’s going on. If it
makes sense, we’ll believe you. If
it doesn’t make sense, we’re
going to ask you some questions.”
Hydraulic Produce Sprayer
“Features”
• hydraulic folding
■ leveling
height
adjustment
• boom height 24 to 96
• 25 spraying width
• John Blue 3 diaphram
pump
• 300 psi system
• 200 gallon tank
5% discount on orders paid by 1 -31 -04
For more information contact
Iva Mfg
175 Churchtown Rd Narvon, Pa 17555
717«768»0747
Also available 3pt hitch - air blast - boom sprayers
row crop cultivators
native, such as a non-selective
burndown herbicide.
The fourth story involved a
university plot that was using
leaf compost on vegetable beds.
Phytotoxicity ended up killing
the transplants. But from what?
It was found that several herbi
cides were used for grass weed
control and the grass clippings
got entangled with the leaf
mulch. Even a small amount of
the herbicide proved toxic in the
compost. Even a tiny bit of ma
terial, noted Vorodi, is enough to
cause damage to plants.
In the fifth story, a farmer was
selecting a preemergent herbicide
on tomato fields. He planted 900
plants. But instead of putting the
label rate for one-quarter of an
acre, he misread the application
and put four times the amount
on - enough for one acre. The
transplants couldn’t tolerate the
dosage - the farmer had to re
plant 900 tomatoes. “Measure
twice, cut once!” noted Vorodi.
In the sixth story, a small-scale
vegetable grower noticed acres of
pumpkins with an infestation of
squash bugs. The grower found a
jug of what he thought was insec
ticide and applied it. Trouble
was. the jug didn’t contain an in
secticide, but an herbicide, 2,4-D.
The pumpkin crop and several
landscape plants were killed.
“Never use the container if you
are not 100 percent sure of the
contents,” Vorodi said. He said to
make sure and label the product
and the date of purchase.
In the seventh story, a farmer
picked up a small amount of pes
ticide and wanted to use an alter
native container. He chose a coke
soda bottle. Tragically, his
7-year-old daughter took the bot
tle, drank it, and died. The les
son: NEVER store a pesticide in
What a state trooper will look
for at the “rest site” weigh station
will include:
• Fire extinguisher accessible,
charged, and secured with proper
strap.
• Approved gas storage con
tainers properly secured.
The best way to know what to
expect is to get a copy of the fed
eral regulations. They can be or
dered from the Federal Motor
Carrier Safety Administration on
the Website, www.fmcsa.dot.gov
“Options”
• engine drive pump and
hydraulics
• 400 psi system
• 300 gallon tank
• rinse system
• track boom
• Hydro pump
• PUC registration.
• Tires and brake check.
• Exhaust check.
• Lights check.
• Material secured
any other container other than
the one it was manufactured in.
Make sure it is clearly labeled,
and kept away from children.
“Never place pesticides in un
labeled containers,” Vorodi said.
“It is dangerous and irresponsi
ble.”
Vorodi said that in the year
2000, there were 73,000 pesticide
poisonings in the U.S., according
to the Environmental Protection
Agency. About 23,000 visit the
emergency rooms and about 20
people die.
“Never leave children unat
tended with access to pesticides,”
he said.
In the eighth story, a grape
grower noted the telltale signs of
herbicide damage to his crops. It
was caused by a 2,4-D ester, used
to kill weeds in cooler conditions.
A neighbor farmer caused the in
jury and lucidly they were able
to settle without going to court.
“The lesson drift occurs more
often than you think,” Vorodi
said. The Pennsylvania Depart
ment of Agriculture labels this
“pesticide trespass.”
If it is too hot, humid, or
windy? Vorodi suggests using the
most appropriate pesticide and
drift reduction strategies. And if
you are at fault, admit it - an in
vestigator will find out what hap
pened anyway.
In the ninth story, a grower
found his pickup truck was in
fused with the repugnant aroma
of Diazinon, a popular pesticide.
An investigation proved that he
went to get a “couple of ounces”
of the material from another
grower, and he put those ounces
in an empty aspirin bottle.
Needless to say, about two
ounces of material fell out of the
bottle into the seat foam, and is
now a “permanent air freshener”
and can be downloaded to printer
paper.
If the vehicle doesn’t pass in
spection, “you can’t move the ve
hicle until it is properly re
paired,” said Livingston.
Bill Wells, Watercrest Farms
Nursery, West Grove, and chair
man of the Pennsylvania Land
scape and Nursery Association,
sponsors of Power Expo 2003,
noted this was the first Power
Expo at Farm Show.
“This show is just machinery,”
said Wells. Emphasis is on power
equipment used by landscape
companies and
nursenes.
The late fall
in the truck he lesson - never
use a container other than the
original for the pesticide.
In the final story, another one
involving risks to human health,
a very experienced pesticide ap
plicator had to spend some time
in the hospital. Why? He was
spraying a combination of Cross
bow and 2,4-D, and wore the full
bodyguard material, including
full Tyvekß suit, chemical-resis
tant gloves, goggles, and respira
tor. But it was a hot day, so,
when spraying for a time, he took
off the goggles and respirator, ex
posing just a little portion of his
face.
Trouble is, he was reaching up
to spray overhead sometimes. He
didn’t think anything of it, until
he came home to dinner and, as
he ate, his eyes began swelling
up. He tried to go to bed, but
couldn't, because his eyes were
swelling up so bad they began to
close.
The grower went to the hospi
tal, instead, where he was placed
on steroids and released.
What happened? The doctor
told him that, after all that time
working with pesticides, even a
small dose was enough to set up
an allergic reaction. That allergic
reaction caused the terrific swell
ing and could have been life
threatening.
The lesson: always follow pro
tective label cautions and warn
ings. Don’t take risks with safety
equipment.
With Vorodi’s 12 years in ex
tension office, he has learned that
the “label is the law,” and to be
cautious when using pesticides.
Power Expo 2003 Seminar and
Trade Show is a landscape, nurs
ery, and turf power equipment
expo conducted for the first time
at the Pennsylvania Farm Show
Complex in Harrisburg.
show allows the equipment man
ufacturers to show their product.
About 2,000 were preregistered
for Power Expo.
The next Penn Allied Nursery
Trade Show (PANTS) is sched
uled July 27-29, 2004 at the Fort
Washington Expo Center in Fort
Washington.
Power Expo 2004 will be con
ducted Nov. 10-11 at the Farm
Show Complex in Harrisburg.
Since 1980
You have known us for
mH|Hr*) our quality mulches and
soil products sold under our
Jr trade names...
Twin Oaks and Four Corners.
Frey's Professional Mixes
Now you can rely on Frey Brothers, Inc
as your Greenhouse and Nursery Mix
manufacturer. All our mixes contain
processed Coconut Coir Fiber for
improved plant growth
SERVING
NJ, MD, WV, De3*
GROWERS / _sr
FREY BROTHERS, INC.
372 Puseyville Road
Quanyville, PA 17566
PA Office Ph 717-786-2146
New Jersey Ph 609-601-6272
www.lreybrothersmc com