Pesticide drift occurs whenever pesticide leaves the intended target site through the air during or soon after application.
Pesticide drift may cause injury to farm workers and other people, particularly children, adjacent crops or other non-target plants, livestock, sensitive environmental areas, fish and wildlife. Even if visible injury does not occur, illegal residues may be present in adjacent areas. Pesticide drift may also result in regulatory fines, legal liability, and litigation.
When pesticide drift occurs, some part of the pesticide is not reaching its intended target, and the potential benefit from the application is reduced. The likelihood of pesticide drift will be reduced if the applicator understands the relationships among pesticide product, application equipment, and site and weather conditions.
Applicator Responsibility
It is the applicator's responsibility to know whether there are any sites near the application area that are particularly arisk from exposure to pesticides. These may include sensitive crops, organic fields, bee hives, bodies of water, areas of shallow ground water, schools, parks, hospitals, nursing homes and endangered species habitats. Read the pesticide label to determine if the product has any specific warnings or environmental hazards. Write down your plans to avoid pesticide drift into sensitive areas, and follow your plan during application. Keep a copy of the plan with application records.
Authored by Jim Wilson, PhD
South Dakota State University
