A new website for pesticide stewardship provides one-stop shopping for anyone who needs to use a pesticide — and wants to know how to use it properly.
RALEIGH, NC – A new website for pesticide stewardship provides one-stop shopping for anyone who needs to use a pesticide — and wants to know how to use it properly.
Located at
http://pesticidestewardship.org, the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship (PES) website contains information about pesticide use, storage, disposal and handling. It also includes downloadable applicator forms and references to federal laws about pesticide use.
Coordinated by the Center for Integrated Pest Management at North Carolina State University, the site is the result of a national collaboration. Land-grant universities from four states, including New York, North Carolina, South Dakota and Washington, along with various other organizations interested in pesticide stewardship, have committed to work together to develop, review, and fundthe content (see
http://pesticidestewardship.org/Pages/About.aspx). The site is housed and maintained at Cornell University.
“We felt it was important to coordinate both the development and funding of this site to have a ‘one stop shop’ for anyone needing information on protecting the environment while using pesticides,” says Tom Melton, director of the Center for Integrated Pest Management.
The site provides information for everyone from the most basic user to the more experienced applicator or grower. A separate section is included for homeowners
“Our ultimate goal is to cover the basic tenets that apply regardless of who you are, where you live or the pest you’re trying to control,” says Wayne Buhler, PES national coordinator and a Pesticide Safety Education Program coordinator with NC State University. “There are fundamental principles and practices to be aware of whether you are protecting agricultural crops, homegrown vegetables, a lawn or golf course. We hope that whenever the choice is made to use a pesticide, good stewardship practices will be followed.”
Organizations that partnered to build the site are continuing its expansion. Currently in the works is a section for pesticide resistance management. Future plans include educational quizzes to reinforce important stewardship concepts and self-assessment tools to evaluate personal stewardship practices.
10 Stewardship Tips from the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Website
- Read the label before buying the pesticide.
- Buy only the amount of pesticide needed for one season.
- As a general rule of thumb, the temperature inside the storage area should not get below 40 F or over 100 F.
- Calibrate equipment carefully to assure that the pesticide is applied at labeled rates.
- Be aware of the current and probable future weather conditions in order to make the best application decisions to prevent drift.
- Locate the mixing/loading site away from wells, streams and lakes.
- Never leave a tank while it is being filled, and pay constant attention during filling to prevent overfilling and spilling of the pesticide on the ground.
- When you empty a container, allow it to drain into the spray tank for 10 seconds after it begins to drip.
- Remember that exceeding the label rate of application is a violation of the law.
- Follow the label each time you mix and use the pesticide, and follow the label when storing or disposing of the pesticide. Do not trust your memory.