Chico >> Butte County Farm Bureau and the county Agricultural Commissioner’s Office decided to spice up Grower Day this year by adding a trade show and free lunch.
The annual event is important to farmers and pest control advisers who hear the latest on new regulations and other industry information. Usually the group fills up the room and sits in folding chairs with speakers at a podium.
Tuesday the commercial building at the Silver Dollar Fair included 24 industry booths. Chico Electric showcased the use of on-farm solar panels. Farm lenders were on hand, and people could pick up a flier for Laserman, Inc. Chico State University College of Agriculture and Butte College Ag Department also had booths, as did Diamond Foods and Gorrill Ranch. It would have been difficult to leave the building without a snack pack of almonds or a free pen.
Colleen Cecil, Farm Bureau executive director, said the event seemed to be a hit. People had time to mingle and learn about new products, or catch up with friends. Sponsors also contributed toward the lunch. Cecil was also in charge of announcing the periodic door prizes, which included food, tools and chemicals donated by area businesses.
Normally, the early December event had a group of about 150, but she estimated the crowd at well over 300 Tuesday.
People with a pesticide applicator license are required to attend informational sessions several times a year, said Agricultural Commissioner Richard Price. Attendees learn about most recent rules and trends for the future.
Wildlife and poison
Ground squirrels and pocket gophers are constant battle for growers and rules on the use of anti-coagulants are becoming more strict, Price said. In the near future, orchardists will need to find ways to bait and poison ground squirrels.
Growers will see new restrictions or bans on some of the chemicals used for pest control in orchards, Price continued.
Research is being conducted to determine how much wildlife is harmed by the use of anti-coagulants, typically used for rodent control.
During her presentation, Stella McMillin of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, said bobcats are being harmed in areas of the state, likely because they eat ground squirrels who have eaten poison.
In one study, 79 percent of kit foxes studied in the Bakersfield area had been exposed to rodenticides. The kit fox is endangered, she said.
Other wildlife with high levels of exposure include raptors and fishers. A program is underway to increase the fisher population, an animal in the weasel family found in forests.
The emphasis for wildlife managers will be to cut back on the most lethal of poisons, the type that kill the animal the first time they are ingested. The new rules will only allow pesticide applicators to use them, and only within 50 feet of a structure (rather than 100 feet), McMillin explained.
Already, rules are in effect for strychnine, only allowing the poison to be used for pocket gopher control, she said.
In the past, changes to how the products are applied have helped, including the use of gummy worms, which keeps the bait where targeted creatures will find it.
She said pest applicators also need to be very aware when using underground gases to kill pests. “You need to know that it’s only ground squirrels in the burrow,” and not other creatures that live underground, she cautioned.
New regulations
New rules this year for growers will focus on worker safety, including requiring only certified applicators to use the chemical chlorpyrifos, contained in the brand name Lorsban used on tree crops. Chlorpyrifos is also used on alfalfa and cotton.
Tom Anderson, of the Department of Pesticide Regulation, said growers will also need to pay attention to which gloves to use with restricted materials, as all glove material does not protect the same way.
Federal regulations that may arrive soon include requirements for field workers to be trained every year instead of every five years, Anderson said.
Also, for some crop applications the federal government is proposing posting of signs in fields where people should stay away after treatment, he said.
Those rules would apply in 2016. Many in the farm industry will oppose these regulations and Anderson said growers should pay attention to public comment periods.
Common violations
Navid Khan, assistant to the Agricultural Commissioner, reviewed some of the rules where his office sees the most violations.
Labeling is one, especially when people are transporting chemicals. What happens most often is a grower transfers material from a large container to a smaller one, but do not transfer the label and handling instructions.
This may seem onerous, he said. Yet, the rules are in place in case public safety personnel need to know how to handle the material.
Rules also require eye wash to be readily available. What often happens is a driver will have a bottle filled with water. However, there’s no way to know if this is for drinking or emergencies. Khan said its easiest to have a bottle set aside, and labeled as eye wash.
Roundup is the most commonly used herbicide, and it makes sense there are the most violations with its use. Khan said the chemicals are used so frequently, that people forget they need to wear long-sleeved shirts and have eye protection.
Contact reporter Heather Hacking at 896-7758.
