Pesticide/ insecticide drift from neighboring properties

Sustainusfarm · #1 05/04/14, 09:10 AM

Hello, this is my first post, question for you all that live out in " the country":
We are considering buying a farmette here in Wisconsin. The 3 acre parcel is surrounded by farmland that is rotated every year with the typical farm crops of corn, soybeans, etc. We are trying to get away from using chemicals and would like to have bee hives, veggies gardens and a few animals like chickens and a small dairy cow. My question is this, do you worry about chemical drift from neighboring farms blowing into your open windows, barn, pasture, garden or apiary? I understand that some of you have many acres and are partially shielded from this sort of thing, what about the rest of you?

Wren - TN · #2 05/04/14, 09:58 AM

I don't know about Wisconsin, but I did live in Arkansas in the middle of rice, cotton, and soybean fields. There was NO WAY to avoid drift. They used crop dusters. Once I was driving on a main road with crops on either side. As the crop duster flew overhead, my windshield was sprayed. Don't know if he cut the spray and it drifted, or if he didn't even bother to stop spraying just to go over a road.

I turned on my windshield wipers and washer to get the chemicals off before they dried on there. Big mistake! I don't know how many of you have ever used the liquid flea and tick dip for dogs. You put one ounce in a gallon of water and as soon as you pour it in the whole gallon goes white. Yep, white out on the windshield. Luckily the roads in that part of Arkansas are flat, straight, and not heavily traveled.

If being away from pesticides and herbicides is a deal breaker to you, I'd look elsewhere, or at least look for property with natural windbreaks that won't be cleared in the future.

MO_cows · #3 05/04/14, 10:19 AM

We are surrounded by conventional row crops, lived here over 25 years, never had a problem. They don't spray very often, maybe twice a season. Usually a spray buggy, sometimes a crop duster. The harvest with all the dust and noise is a bigger nuisance.

mrs whodunit · #4 05/04/14, 10:24 AM

We live out on the prairie and are surrounded by fields.

Its stinks when its chemical application time.

ChristieAcres · #5 05/04/14, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sustainusfarm

Hello, this is my first post, question for you all that live out in " the country":
We are considering buying a farmette here in Wisconsin. The 3 acre parcel is surrounded by farmland that is rotated every year with the typical farm crops of corn, soybeans, etc. We are trying to get away from using chemicals and would like to have bee hives, veggies gardens and a few animals like chickens and a small dairy cow. My question is this, do you worry about chemical drift from neighboring farms blowing into your open windows, barn, pasture, garden or apiary? I understand that some of you have many acres and are partially shielded from this sort of thing, what about the rest of you?

I'd pass for many reasons/concerns. We are soon to be on 5 acres, so I was very diligent about where we purchased, learning as much about our new area as I could.

Also, consider honey bees travel up to 2 miles in all directions for pollen... Neighboring properties spraying? Often is a death sentence to honey bees

Molly Mckee · #6 05/04/14, 10:52 AM

I don't think 3 acres is enough to do what you want to do.

I do think you do need to remember that chemicals are expensive, putting them on is expensive, and the farmer is not going to use any more than he needs and is not going to over spray unless it's an accident. There are laws about drift as well in most states, WI being one. However, it can happen.

rambler · #7 05/04/14, 02:41 PM

I am a small conventional farmer, I use manure, cover crops, commercial fertilizer, crop rotation, herbicides, and so on - it typically isn't one or the other farmers use the best options to get the best crops.

Anyhow.

I farm 4 acres a ways away on land my sister owned. They want no weeds. For soybeans we now have some aphids we often have to spray for.

They have a garden. They have a fella planting a 1/2 acre of pumpkins, and a fella has 10-15 bee hives in a wooded corner all on this property.

Spraying for weeds and insects is a challenge here, I am within 20 feet of pumpkins, 30 feet of tomatoes, and the bees over yonder.

I talked to the bee fella once, said I don't like spraying for insects there could bother his bees. He said no, doesn't matter, watch the wind is all, it doesn't bother them everyone else sprays.

Everyone wants a nice looking crop and no weeds first, then just don't hurt the other stuff.

So that's what I do, it gets weed spray every year and insect spray 3/4 of of the years.

Some farmers get in a hurry or to big and too hurried and try to do stuff in a wind or a rush and don't do a good job of this.

In general, there is a very small amount of herbicide that is not active very long in the environment to worry about.

A few vocal people in the world have a very loud, very unrealistic view of zero tolerance of anything.

If that is the standard, you need to look at what is flowing off your land too, in pollen and seed and fluids. that standard goes both ways then.

Only you know what is right for you, but in town, your neighbors were applying heavier doses of fertilizer on their lawns right next door, insect and rodent control was much heavier in the town environment tho it is kept kinda quiet. Several universities have studied fert and pesticide applications in rural and city areas, and city has about 2x as much applied.

You take that info any way you want, this is a hot button topic with some very vocal people about it, only you know what works for you. Myself, I think you would be lowering your exposure quite a bit, but there is no place to go on 3 acres to have zero tolerance of anything, noise, dirt, etc.

Paul

rambler · #8 05/04/14, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wren - TN

I
I turned on my windshield wipers and washer to get the chemicals off before they dried on there. Big mistake! I don't know how many of you have ever used the liquid flea and tick dip for dogs. You put one ounce in a gallon of water and as soon as you pour it in the whole gallon goes white. Yep, white out on the windshield. Luckily the roads in that part of Arkansas are flat, straight, and not heavily traveled.

I am not defending that crop duster at all. That wasn't right, and as a farmer I would be upset he was wasting my dollars spraying stuff that wasn't my field,a side from the other concerns.

The whitish stuff is mostly the crop oil. It is sort of like Dawn dish soap, it helps the spray stick to and cut through the waxy stuff on the weed leaves. It allows a person to use a whole lot less actual weed chemical, maybe 24 oz is all per acre, some are only 3 oz.

One uses a 1/5 of a gallon or so of the crop oil/ soap stuff.

Again, it was wrong to have the spray go off target, but most of baht you saw was really soap, with just a little bit of actual weed spray in it. Not that it made much difference to you needing visibility!

Paul

fireweed farm · #9 05/04/14, 04:04 PM

Sorry, but pesticides will be all over your land. Whether accidental overspray, a sudden gust of wind during spraying, dry soil blowing, and it's going to come through soil when it rains. So you'll be eating it and maybe even in the well or at least groundwater.
People will tell you "it's fine". I wouldn't risk it.
*If you do a search you will likely find people complaining about overspray, and all the "conventional" farmers all saying "you knew it when you bought the place", and call you a NIMBY.

jwal10 · #10 05/04/14, 04:07 PM

We are on 1 acre here, road on 2 sides and forest the other 2. The county has a program where they post the right of way with No Spray signs if you sign up. We did but let them spray 1 nozzle wide right on the rock shoulder (6'). We hay the rest of the right of way. We use Roundup around the property but not around any food crops while growing. I cannot spray myself or be around for 3 days or so. Yes, even Roundup makes me sick.

Gray Wolf · #11 05/04/14, 06:56 PM

Most homeowners subscribe to the "If a little's good, more is better" philosophy when using chemicals on their lot. Doubling or tripling the amount on the label only costs a buck or two more so what the heck.

Most farmers comply with regulations and recommended amounts in their mix. It wastes money for no reason.

Crop dusters and orchard sprayers overspray if the wind is blowing. They try to spray when it's calm so they get a known amount of material on the crops with no gaps or double applications. Row crop sprayers have some drift too but usually not so much. That's the way it goes.

Many jurisdictions have "Right to Farm" laws protecting farmers from complaints and lawsuits by neighbors.

Check your title report prior to purchasing, or else check with the city or county that governs land use in your area. If you buy, you may have no recourse.

bigjon · #12 05/04/14, 07:40 PM

i'd keep looking,roundup(most popular)will drift for a mile and has been found in breast milk-usa-today.

Molly Mckee · #13 05/04/14, 07:54 PM

Roundup is used all over the suburbs and cities, as are other chemicals. Farmers usually have to have a license to buy chemicals. I don't know where you are going to escape all possibility of over spray, blowing, or some type of contamination. At least the professionals should know what they are doing and have a vested interest in not over using.

geo in mi · #14 05/05/14, 05:37 AM

As Rambler said, if you are a zero tolerance person, you should not buy the place. Another consideration is pollen drift from GMO corn. That could be a problem to you in certain scenarios.

geo

HTWannabee · #15 05/05/14, 05:53 AM

Around here they are supposed to spray only at certain hours when bees are not active. They don't always obey that though. One small farm wiped out an apiary spraying late morning. You can't get away from everything. Maybe speak to them and ask what they typically do? That may be a good judge of how they will be as neighbors if they are open to speaking with you. Most responsible famers will want to minimize harm to pollinators.
Like other posters here have said, roundup and other household pesticides and herbicides used in residential areas and are very bad also and used with reckless abandon.

Sustainusfarm · #16 05/05/14, 05:12 PM

Now that I know this was a " hot button" question....sorry....thanks for all the different points of view and no arguing!
I was the manager of a plant nursery for 20 yrs and sprayed for numerous things 2-3 times per week.... I have mixed round-up and liquid fertilizer in a barrel with my bare hands because peers long ago said it was safe...now I know better....
I will eventually be able to buy the land surrounding this home...I like sleeping at night with my windows open and the thought occurred to me that if I slept in I may get sprayed through the window while sleeping in my own bed!? That's what prompted this question..
I think I will research this a bit more and talk with the farmer about what he plants and what he sprays, then determine what threats, if any, there may be. This farmer at least does not have access to use the driveway to get to the field like he has in the past, so I won't have to worry about large equipment dripping all over where my chickens scratch in the dirt!