Pesticide Record Keeping Survey To Begin In 1999

Program protects environment, consumer and farmer

A national survey, intended to strengthen Utah agriculture's good record of proper pesticide use will get underway in 1999. The survey will check 100 Utah farmers' pesticide record keeping practices on restricted-use pesticides as part of a program intended to protect the Utah environment, consumers and the farmer.

"The survey was designed to help food producers conform to federal regulations requiring record-keeping of restricted use pesticides (RUP)--pesticides that must be applied by a person certified by the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food," said Dick Wilson, Director of Plant Industry. The overall goal is to monitor the amounts of chemicals being applied to farmland.

Beginning in the Spring of 1999, plant industry inspectors will visit 100 Utah farms to check on nine areas of record keeping. Utah has more than 2,700 private applicators certified to buy and apply the more hazardous chemicals available for controlling insects, weeds, rodents and other pests.

UDAF employees are conducting the surveys under a contract with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Similar studies are being conducted in numerous other states around the country.

Wilson explained that federal regulations call for farmers to record nine types of data for each RUP application: Date, applicator's name, certification number, crop or commodity treated, field identification, pesticide name, EPA registration number for each pesticide, total amount of pesticide applied, and total number of acres treated.

The state also urges farmers to record weather conditions at the time of treatment -wind direction and velocity - climate conditions such as rainfall, and other details. Farmers who keep careful records for production efficiency also describe results of the treatment.

Random selection of 100 names from the entire list of certified private applicators will be made on the plant industry division's computer, Wilson reported. A letter has been sent to each of those farmers notifying them that their pesticide records will be audited in coming months. The inspectors will set up survey appointments by phone, he added. No connection exists between the record-keeping survey and EPA's enforcement of chemical restrictions, he pointed out. Farmers' names won't be included on survey forms or in statistical reports and won't be turned over to other agencies.

Posted 30 November, 1998