Contractor wont spray field

[Tim s]

sold field --- incoming man wants it cleared prior to grassing as he has cattle, the contractor wont spray it as per poss tatties next door he tells me, i have never used chemicals and never will i just wondered if what i was told was usual-- got the answer job done simples as they say.

Knew this stank from the beginning

 

[Cowabunga]

But that’s a case of spray not landing on its intended target and would be a matter for a public liability claim, the same as any other spray drift causing a problem or any other crop in a neighbouring field.
Unless someone knows otherwise there are no laws or regulations I’m aware of preventing roundup being sprayed on a field next to potatoes.

Have they not heard of low drift nozzles and of using low pressure, high volume nozzles to spray up that way?

 

[quattro]

They all do around here just wash it out properly
Cant see a problem just watch the way the wind is blowing and miss a tramline next too the Tattys

Round up is one of the easiest chemicals to clean out of a sprayer

 

[Brisel]

Round up is one of the easiest chemicals to clean out of a sprayer

Not true. I’ve had personal experience of that! It’s not that difficult but I can see why the contractor didn’t want to take a number of risks in this case.

 

[2wheels]

Have they not heard of low drift nozzles and of using low pressure, high volume nozzles to spray up that way?

don't need high volume with roundup decent low drift nozzles and 80-100lts ha will do the job fine.

 

[steveR]

I have known farms that have a dedicated sugar beet sprayer that only sprays beet. If doing a large acreage of potatoes I suspect many farms will take the same approach. It's not worth the risk. I'm not saying it is impossible to do safely but if they have a large acreage of spuds they might well have a dedicated machine for it.

I bet some of the biggest and most expensive spraying mistakes have happened in spuds.

Used to do that, once I realised the problems in cleaning SU out of the crop sprayer, when sugar beet was in the rotation!

 

[ollie989898]

Knew this stank from the beginning

It was a very odd thread from the very outset and I had similar reservations about it.

 

[ollie989898]

Not true. I’ve had personal experience of that! It’s not that difficult but I can see why the contractor didn’t want to take a number of risks in this case.

I've heard tales of a salt-like residue being left in a sprayer but never knew how much credence to give them. May be if you went spraying, ran out of spray and then parked it without washing out at all?

 

[murphy]

Cant blame the contractor really, I know of a couple of claims with roundup on seed tatties in seven figures

 

[Jim75]

As @AndrewB says. No reputable contractor in Eastern Scotland would spray roundup in a field next to one with seed tatties. Risks are far too high.

Im going to stick my head up and be irresponsible but they won’t spray any field next to seed tatties? I’d have done no roundup in the past if that was true to form up here.
One person I know involved in a claim had an expert up from the customer who claimed roundup travelled 1.5miles, if that were the case all seed tatties up here would be claimed on.

 

[Chae1]

Not true. I’ve had personal experience of that! It’s not that difficult but I can see why the contractor didn’t want to take a number of risks in this case.

Me too. Left a big yellow patch in some spring barley.

 

[glasshouse]

You gung ho spray guys dont seem to realise the consequences if roundup drifts onto seed spuds.
Ten acres of seed potatoes affected by roundup will not be noticed till they dont grow in egypt, africa or england.
150 tons of seed will plant 150 acres which could produce 3000 tons of ware.
At £200 /ton , thats a
Potential loss of £600,000

 

[Andrew]

You gung ho spray guys dont seem to realise the consequences if roundup drifts onto seed spuds.
Ten acres of seed potatoes affected by roundup will not be noticed till they dont grow in egypt, africa or england.
150 tons of seed will plant 150 acres which could produce 3000 tons of ware.
At £200 /ton , thats a
Potential loss of £600,000

Maybe the contractor in the case of the OP has had his fingers burnt / close to it / knows someone etc who has and this is why he's being cautious.

The OP has some land that has been ploughed and is rough and covered in weeds, and hates chemical. The incoming owner wants it cleared to sow grass.
Personally that sounds like the prime candidate for a pass or 2 with the discs. Kill it and level it in one go, without using chemicals. No brainer surely?

 

[stewart]

fair enough i am dealing with contractor through a 3rd party who had fert done on other fields of mine only going by what he is telling me if he does not want to do the job rather they were upfront about it and say socall a spade a shovel

He is being up front, he does not want to take the risk if there is a crop of seed potatoes next door. He has also commented that the field is very rough, this could add to the risk if spraying.

contractor wont glyphosate field because neighbour has seed potatoes in field next door says if crop goes wrong he has to compensate them 4 or 5 times the value of crop is this usual or is he taking the mick because he does not want to do job also complaining field very rough .ploughed 3 years ago and left that way ever since

 

[warksfarmer]

contractor wont glyphosate field because neighbour has seed potatoes in field next door says if crop goes wrong he has to compensate them 4 or 5 times the value of crop is this usual or is he taking the mick because he does not want to do job also complaining field very rough .ploughed 3 years ago and left that way ever since

Has he had an issue elsewhere that’s frightened him?

 

[melted welly]

probably them all worked for spraying firm does sprayer tank being roasting hot due to mixture reaction not say something? also over the years how many SAFE chemicals have now been BANNED from use? car coverd in yellow chemical from wheat fields 1/4 mile away wind drift farmer wont say what it is being used wonder why i have absolutly no know how about chemicals never had anything to do with them if that safe why do the sprayer boys now get all geared up like medical frontline workers

If the “yellow stuff“ appeared over last week or so, it’s probably pollen.

 

[dundee dave]

Knew this stank from the beginning

not at all this is what the buyer told me what took place i am only asking if this is normal for this senario it appears it is the case never had any experience of contractors or spraying in the past this is why i asked forum about it

 

[Wombat]

You gung ho spray guys dont seem to realise the consequences if roundup drifts onto seed spuds.
Ten acres of seed potatoes affected by roundup will not be noticed till they dont grow in egypt, africa or england.
150 tons of seed will plant 150 acres which could produce 3000 tons of ware.
At £200 /ton , thats a
Potential loss of £600,000

We understand but I wouldn’t change my cropping or applications based on what my neighbour put on the other side of the fence. Just as I wouldn’t expect my neighbour to change his based on what I plant.

 

[Tarw Coch]

You gung ho spray guys dont seem to realise the consequences if roundup drifts onto seed spuds.
Ten acres of seed potatoes affected by roundup will not be noticed till they dont grow in egypt, africa or england.
150 tons of seed will plant 150 acres which could produce 3000 tons of ware.
At £200 /ton , thats a
Potential loss of £600,000

So this is about more than a bit of drift catching a few spuds by the hedge, if I’m understanding this right a whole field could be susceptible to a fine mist that isn’t even apparent at the time?
If it isn’t apparent at the time and doesn’t come to light until the following year surely it’s difficult to prove blame unlike when a small patch is seen burnt off next to the boundary shortly after spraying.

If I’m understanding this right and seed spuds really are this sensitive then growers really ought to think hard about suitable locations to grow them and if growing next to a boundary really ought to do so with prior consultation with their neighbours about what they intend to plant and the neighbours plans for their own land.

 

[melted welly]

We understand but I wouldn’t change my cropping or applications based on what my neighbour put on the other side of the fence.

That’s fine, but you also wouldn’t spray roundup if it’s gonna drift over a neighbours growing crop. Contractor will of taken the view it’s not worth the risk, nor the hassle of arriving to do the job to find the winds changed.

risk v reward - potential claim vs few quid in the bank.

contractor will have plenty on the now anyway without plastering about buggering his booms on hard ploughing.