SASKATOON – For the first time this fall, spray planes in the three prairie provinces and Peace River area will be authorized to apply Roundup herbicide for pre-harvest weed control.
The extension of the regulation to include spray planes is temporary and there are tight restrictions on who will be allowed to spray, said Len Juras of Saskatchewan Agriculture.
“Because of the non-selective nature of the herbicide, we wanted to be sure there are qualified pilots who have taken additional training and their equipment has been tested …,” he said.
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“That means that only approximately 15 per cent of licensed pilots are able to apply Roundup by air because they are the ones to meet the requirements.”
Lloyd Good, head of the Saskatchewan Aerial Applicators Association, said his industry is pleased Monsanto, the manufacturer, applied for registration extension.
“This is no doubt good for aerial applicators, but that’s not what it’s about. It’s about what is good for farmers,” Good said.
Some producers prefer aerial spraying to ground spraying because planes don’t trample the crop and can do the job quickly.
The target for preharvest application of Roundup, a glyphosate herbicide, is perennial weed control.
“In (late summer), perennial weeds are translocating food produced in the leaf to below ground, to aid the regeneration of the plant next spring,” Juras said. “The herbicide piggy backs on this system and gets better long-term control because it is being distributed below ground where it is needed.”
However, because Roundup kills all green matter, the potential impact of spray drift could be greater than with other products. This concerned agricultural researchers and extension personnel, Juras said.
To address that concern, the federal pesticide management regulatory agency worked with the three prairie provinces to draft special restrictions.
They include:
- Licensed spray plane pilots had to attend special training sessions in April.
- Spray companies must have at least one pilot with at least 250 hours of application experience, 100 hours of that in the last 24 months.
- Planes and equipment had to be officially checked and calibrated in the last 20 months.
- Aircraft must carry $25,000 in drift insurance or post a bond of that amount. This is in addition to existing provincial requirements.
- A buffer of 100 metres must be maintained around sensitive areas such as farm yards, gardens, wetlands, sloughs and shelter belts. In ground spraying, the buffer is 15 metres.
“(The future of the registration) is very much in the air applicators’ hands. In a sense, it is theirs to lose,” Juras said.
Good said his organization accepts this higher standard.
“Whether it is the commercial applicator or flying farmer, we want them to be trained, responsible and competent.”
Pilots will keep records on spraying locations and prevalent conditions. After the season, regulators will audit some records and visit some treated fields to search for drift damage. There will be more follow up the following year, Good said.
This information will be reviewed in 1997 to determine if the temporary registration will be renewed, said Juras.
