Managing Spray Drift to Minimize Problems

OVERVIEW

This online course covers the management of spray drift to minimize problems. Spray Drift Management (SDM) has been a critical element for Western agriculture for decades. Keeping crop protection chemicals on the crop for which they are intended has been a cornerstone of Western farming not only to protect neighboring crops, but to avoid wasting money by allowing products to drift off the intended target. Spray drift management has taken on greater significance as cities encroach upon rural areas. Every year, increasingly more houses and other types of developments are springing up in prime growing areas, oftentimes alongside fields, orchards or vineyards. This leads to increased concerns about the use of agricultural chemicals and the ways they are applied. This course will review many aspects of spray drift – from practical, hands-on ways to minimize drift, to the regulatory issues surrounding it.

Course Features

Lectures 11
Questions 45
Duration 1 h (approx)

COURSE OUTLINE
- Introduction
  
  5 min.
- Spray Drift Definition, Mechanics and Equipment
  
  6 min.
- The Spray Drift Task Force, VMDs, Droplet Size, and SDM
  
  2 min.
- Buffer Zones and Setbacks
  
  3 min.
- Balancing Coverage, Minimizing Drift
  
  7 min.
- Aerial Applicators
  
  5 min.
- Ground Application
  
  5 min.
- Orchards, Vineyards
  
  1 min.
- Spray Equipment
  
  5 min.
- Laws and Regulations
  
  10 min.
- Other Off-Site Movement
  
  2 min.

CREDIT INFORMATION

This course is accredited by:

California Department of Pesticide Regulation (1 hour Laws and Regs)
Arizona Department of Agriculture (1 hour)
Arizona Office of Pest Management (1 hour)
Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) Accredited in U.S. and Canada (2 hours IPM)
Delaware Department of Agriculture (1 credit PA and 1A)
Florida Department of Agriculture (1 CEU General Standards/Core Sections 487 & 482)
Georgia Department of Agriculture (1 hour category 21, 1 hour private 10)
Hawaii Department of Agriculture (1 CEU, Private 1, Commercial 1a, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 7f)
Idaho Department of Agriculture (1 Credit)
Maryland Department of Agriculture (2 credits Core)
Michigan Department of Agriculture (1 credit, 1A, 1B, AE, Commercial Core, Private Core)
Montana Department of Agriculture (1 credit 10, 30, 34, 37, 39, 44, 45, 55, 60)
Nevada Department of Agriculture (1 credit, laws)
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (2 units Core, 1 unit in 11)
New Mexico Department of Agriculture (1 hour General, 1 PRAP, PRRO)
Oklahoma Department of Agriculture (1 hour in 1A and 10)
Oregon Department of Agriculture (1 hour)
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (1 Hour each: 00, PC, 01, 02, 03, 18 )
Tennessee Department of Agriculture (1 CEU in 1, 4, 10, 12)
Texas Department of Agriculture (1 Drift Minimization)
Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (1 CEU in Use or in Law)
Virginia Department of Agriculture (1 credit category 90 AND 91)
Washington Department of Agriculture (2 credits)
West Virginia Department of Agriculture (1 credit in categories 1, 4A, 11, 12, PA)
Wyoming Department of Agriculture (1 CEU)

It is accredited for licensing categories: PCAs, Qualified Applicators, Private Applicators, Aerial Applicators, and County Permit Holders.

CONTRIBUTORS

Many thanks to the following individuals for their input and assistance in developing this course:

Jim W. Wells, President, Environmental Solutions Group, LLC

Richard Stoltz, Aerial Application Consultant and NAAA Operation S.A.F.E. Analyst

Ken Giles, Professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, University of California, Davis

Roy Rutz, Supervisor, Pesticide Enforcement Branch, California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR)

Randy Segawa, Supervisor, Environmental Monitoring Branch, California DPR

Jack Peterson, Associate Director, Environmental Services Division, Arizona Department of Agriculture

Xuyang Zhang, Senior Environmental Scientist (Specialist), California DPR

Nathan Desjarlais, Senior Environmental Scientist (Specialist), Enforcement Branch, California DPR

Background information was obtained from:

Drift models and other resource materials developed by the US Forest Service are available online at https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-science-and-assessing-pesticide-risks/models-pesticide-risk-assessment#AgDrift . The AgDRIFT model is able to assess a variety of spray drift conditions and is helpful in estimating downwind drift of aerial, ground boom, and airblast applications.
The Safe and Effective Use of Pesticides, third edition (ANR Publication 3324), written by Patrick J. O'Connor-Marer and published by the University of California's Integrated Pest Management Project. It is available at: https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/Details.aspx?itemNo=3324.
The Proceedings of the North American Conference on Pesticide Spray Drift Management (1998)
Numerous online sources, including: