Best Management Practices: Pesticides and Fertilizers

Transporting Pesticides or other chemicals

• Secure the container to prevent spillage due to sudden starts, stops or turns.
  • Secure containers with a rope or tarpaulin.
• Provide secondary containment for the container
  • Place glass container inside a plastic container with a lid. Place packing material around the glass container.
  • Place commercial bags inside a sealable plastic bag or container.
• Transport pesticides so that they do not come in contact with people, feed or livestock.
  • Transport pesticides in the back of a pickup truck or in the trunk of a passenger vehicle.
  • Do not transport pesticides on the floor of a flatbed truck with no sidewalls or in the passenger compartment of a vehicle.
    
• Transport pesticides in their original labeled container.
• Carry the MSDS for the product in the front seat of the vehicle.
• Carry a spill kit in your vehicle.
• Carry emergency numbers to contact in case of a spill.

Security and Storage
Proper on site storage - Designated storage areas should have:

• paved or impervious surfaces
• protective cover
• secondary containment

When not in use containers should be sealed and the containers and storage area should be inspected on a weekly basis. The storage area should be secure against unauthorized entry and located away from water sources.

Consider all factors and conditions before choosing a fertilizer or pesticide.

• Consider the geology of the area
• Consider soil characteristics
• Consider weather and irrigation (do not apply before or directly after a rainfall event)
• Apply only when needed
• Conduct regular soil sampling
• Credit other sources
• Use the appropriate form of nitrogen fertilizer
• Consider the Toxicity - Select Pesticides carefully
• Read the label - it provides information on the proper use, storage, and disposal of the product, and provides emergency information.
• Keep MSDSs where employees can access them.
• Training - All employees should be trained to properly handle any material they will be using on the job.
• Keep accurate records.

Mixing

• Wear the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
• Mix only what is required.
• Calibrate equipment accurately.
• Measure accurately.
• Avoid back siphoning.
  • Filling spray tanks directly from a well is not recommended.
  • Never submerge the end of the hose into the chemical/water mixture.
  • Always maintain an air gap between the hose and the spray tank so that back siphoning cannot occur.
  • The operator should always be present when filling spray tanks to prevent any mishaps from occurring.
• Mix on an impervious pad; if mixing must be done in the field, change the location of the mixing area regularly.

Application
Apply pesticides and fertilizers:

• Only as needed
• Do not apply before or directly after a rainfall event.
• Thoroughly check equipment prior to use to insure that it is functioning properly and calibrated correctly.
• Turn the applicator off when doing turns, so that a double application is not done in that area.
• Do not spray all the way to the edge of the field.
• Leave buffer zones around sensitive areas.
  

For fertilizer applications:

• The application should be timed to coincide with the period of maximum crop uptake.

For pesticide application:

• Select a leaching resistant or "slow release" pesticide.
• Obtain a Commercial Applicator Certification from the Michigan Department of Agriculture.
  

Nutrient Management

• Conduct regular soil testing to determine existing nutrients.
• Assess the crops need for each nutrient.
• Credit other sources of nutrients, i.e. irrigation water, manure, a legume crop, etc.
• Determine which fertilizer will best supply the crop's needs and protect the environment
  

IPM - Integrated Pest Management
Integrated Pest Management is a sustainable, ecosystem-based approach to managing pests or their damage and that minimizes economic, health and environmental risks. IPM does not eliminate all pests; it reduces the problems caused by the pests. One of its main strategies is to reduce the use of chemicals. Chemicals are only used when the benefits of using them outweigh the costs. This is done by combining several techniques such as:

• Biological control
• Habitat manipulation
• Modification of cultural practices
• Use of resistant plant varieties
  

Examples of Cultural controls:

• Using crop rotation
• Cultivation
• Habitat modification
• Sanitation
• Removal of sources of pest infestation
  

Examples of Physical-Mechanical controls:

• Using traps and barriers
• Adjusting planting
• Tillage
• Fertilization
  

Examples of Biological-Genetic Controls:

• Use of predators, parasites, and diseases to suppress or attack the pests
• Use of plant varieties that are resistant to pest injury

Chemical

• Using the least toxic environmentally suitable pesticide in the lowest level possible to control pests.
  • Conventional practices include herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides, etc.
  • Biorational pesticides are more environmentally friendly agents, such as soaps, baking soda, and repellents, etc.

Disposal
Fertilizers, pesticides, and chemicals should be disposed of according to recognized hazardous waste disposal practices. Contact the county environmental health department or the Michigan Department of Agriculture for additional information.