The Importance Of Preventing Pesticide Drift

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Pesticide drift occurs when spray droplets or dust particles from agricultural pesticides, including herbicides, insecticides and fungicides, are blown from the area of application to an unintended site.

Drift can happen either during application, when droplets or dust from the pesticide travel away from the target area (particle drift), or after application, when some of the chemicals become vapours and are carried away from the site (vapour drift).

Pesticide drift exposes people, animals, plants and personal property to harmful chemicals that can have damaging effects. For starters, it poses health risks to people and pets when pesticide sprays and dust drift from farms to nearby homes, schools and parks.

It also endangers wildlife and plants if pesticide drift starts to pollute natural habitats and water sources. Additionally, herbicide drift from one field to another can damage crops that may be more susceptible to the chemicals.

Tips for prevention

Here are a few guidelines for limiting and preventing drift when applying pesticides and herbicides to your crops:

- Read the product label carefully to learn how to minimize risk and exposure.

- Adjust your nozzle and pressure to make bigger droplets, which are less likely to drift in the wind.

- Apply pesticides during calm weather conditions; high winds and fog increase the possibility of drift.

- Direct sprays away from property lines to contain pesticides to your farm.

If you take the time to limit and prevent pesticide drift on your farm, you’ll avoid contaminating the environment, wasting valuable products and endangering the health of nearby communities.