Environmental Farm Plans key part of planning process and a major source of new funding.
Ask producers how they would feel if they had a chemical spill from their on-farm storage. Or if their family, employees or neighbours were accidentally exposed to pesticides on their farm.
It's obvious any producer would be concerned. In fact, today more than ever, farmers understand the responsibilities - personally and legally - of handling dangerous goods such as pesticides. It's why many producers are rethinking their on-farm strategies for pesticide storage and management.
The starting point in that process is becoming familiar with applicable legislation, says Jock McIntosh, agriculture and chemical advisor with Alberta Environment. Legislation is the backdrop to any action, he says, but a greater focus on safety, fire and emergency response as well as ease of use and access all factor into an effective pesticide storage and management plan.
That's where Environmental Farm Plans (EFPs) have been a real help. An EFP is a voluntary self-assessment process that acts as a basic framework from which to provide sustainability in many areas of farm management. It's especially useful for high-risk areas such as pesticide management.
The good news is there's now financial help available for producers who complete an EFP. These farmers are eligible for up to $30,000 per farm for a variety of environmental improvements through the Canada-Alberta Farm Stewardship Program (CAFSP).
The first question producers should ask themselves is whether they should store pesticides on their farms at all, and if so how much. Not storing any pesticides on the farm is the lowest-risk option, according to the EFP.
Of course, this is not a viable option for many farmers. McIntosh says that most producers will have to store pesticides at some time, so they should buy only as much as they need and try to use it up throughout the spray season to avoid winter storage.
"Through the Obsolete Pesticide Collection Program that operated over the past three years, we found that the bulk of leftover pesticide on farms had been there for more than 10 years," says McIntosh. "It's important that people don't forget it's there - it has to be dealt with."
Security is an important issue to address when storing pesticides, says McIntosh. Producers are expected to keep pesticide storage areas locked to prevent public access or injury to younger members of the family.
Appropriate signage should also be visible on the storage facility. This is a somewhat controversial regulation amongst the pesticide industry, says McIntosh, because while signage warns people of dangerous goods inside the building, it may also make it the target of theft or vandalism.
"Because these products can be very valuable, theft of pesticides and other chemicals is becoming more prevalent," he says. "One way to get around the issue of posting chemical signage is by working with local fire personnel and making sure they know where these products are stored so they can go directly to the location in the event of a fire or other threat.
"Ultimately, they are best stored at approved dealer storage warehouses and these are typically located within a reasonable distance of many farms."
Protection of ground and surface water is the number one consideration when storing pesticides. The minimum setback distance from all water bodies is 30 metres. However, the concept is to maintain as great a distance as possible (at least 150 metres) between any potential contaminant and the water sources or bodies.
Surface and groundwater can also be protected from pesticide contamination by making sure storage areas are not linked to floor drains or storm drainage systems, says McIntosh.
The ability of the farming community to contain spills or leaks within the boundaries of their storage sites should also be a top priority, he says, and one of the best ways to do this is by setting up some kind of secondary containment. Prescribing containment in legislation is difficult to keep up to date, says McIntosh, and it is left to industry and the farming community to come up with their own reasonable and effective methods.
"Farmers are great at coming up with good, economical ideas for secondary containment," says McIntosh. "It might be something as simple as a metal spill pan they have welded together on site or even an old chest deep freeze that is properly decommissioned. It doesn't necessarily have to be something fancy or expensive, but it's something that should be used to prevent soil and water contamination on the farm property."
Floors should also have some kind of secondary containment system in place to protect them from pesticide absorption. "If a concrete floor is showing signs of pesticide contamination it's really difficult to get it out," says McIntosh. "Some landowners may wind up having to completely remove the concrete before selling their land."
There are some other simple, common sense things farmers can do to reduce the potential of pesticide spills and leaks. "Have spill clean-up and fire response procedures in place and don't leave pesticides outside. Protect them from the rain and the elements to prevent container degradation so labels don't fade, making it difficult to identify the product."
Regulations set the distance from where a producer mixes and loads pesticides at least 30 metres from the nearest water body. However, the greater distance, the better.
It is generally recommended that mixing and loading be done at the site of application. McIntosh says producers are pretty good at adhering to this guideline. Still, care should be taken to avoid spills at any mixing site.
"Wherever they choose to do it, producers have to be careful that it's not going to leave a mess behind that will result in damage to vegetation, cause pesticides to concentrate in the soil or run into nearby water."
Even if producers do all they can to manage their pesticides properly, accidents can and do happen. A good emergency plan and some safety precautions, says McIntosh, can go a long way towards minimizing their possibility and damage.
"First-aid kits and emergency eyewash equipment are some of the basic items producers should have on hand when mixing and loading pesticides," he says. "We also recommend chemical resistant gloves, aprons and boots, disposable coveralls that don't have to be laundered with family clothing or in family washing machines and - particularly when working with insecticides - suitable cartridge respirators."
It is important to use the appropriate neutralizing material for the pesticide at hand when dealing with spills, says McIntosh. This information is available through Material Safety Data Sheets supplied by the pesticide retailer or, in the event of reporting a spill, to the Alberta Environmental Response Centre at 1-800-222-6514.
"Generally speaking, though, the best clean-up materials are the broom and the shovel. Producers should always carry those around with their spray tank in case of an accident."
Triple-rinsing or pressure-rinsing pesticide containers before disposal is a practice McIntosh strongly recommends, and one that experience shows most Alberta farmers disposing of pesticides adhere to. "Probably 75 per cent of the containers that come through the container collection program are triple-rinsed," he says.
"Still, we would like to see a higher rate of triple-rinsing. It actually makes good economic sense for the farmer. Considering the high cost of some of these products, it doesn't make any sense to dispose of containers that still have residue in them."
As far as where to dispose of containers, McIntosh says the container collection system Alberta Environment has had in place since the early `80s has largely addressed this problem. This is administered by pesticide manufacturers through Crop Life Canada and allows farmers to be able to dispose of their old containers safely.
"There are at least 99 container collection sites across the province, most of them within a reasonable distance and the locations accessed through the Alberta Environment Web site or in the Crop Protection Guide - otherwise known as 'The Bluebook,'" he says.
Many farmers are asking about the best ways to deal with rinsate. "It's always a little more difficult dealing with rinsate," says McIntosh. "We recommend following label directions."
More information on the storage and management of pesticides can be found in the EFP workbook, which is provided free to all participants in the EFP program.
For more information on the EFP program and for workshop times and locations across the province, go to www.albertaEFP.com or call toll-free 1-866-844-2337. Information on the Canada-Alberta Farm Stewardship Program (CAFSP) is available from the program office toll-free by calling 1-800-667-8567.
This article is reprintable with credit to AEFP as follows "Reprinted courtesy of the Alberta Environmental Farm Plan Company; www.albertaEFP.com".
