Thoughtless sprayer driver.

[Richard III]

We were enjoying the sunshine this afternoon with friends, sat out in their garden. After a while I spotted a sprayer roll up into the maize field across the road, there was a decent breeze blowing straight at us and I knew there was a good chance of there being PDM in the tank, so I suggested we went inside. Unfortunately everyone thought I was joking, however I managed to get everyone on their feet by the time he went past, but even I was shocked at the feeling of damp air and the stench.

The sprayer was very smart and run by a professional spray contractor, but such thoughtless operators are only going to cause yet more problems for the industry. It's hardly rocket science to apply pre-ems with a coarse spray pattern and to slow down as you go past a row of houses.

 

[Brisel]

The stench will be the naphtha solvent evaporating off. Did you actually see clouds of drift or get wet? You'll get the smell regardless of droplet size.

I'm not condoning their actions, especially from the PR point of view but am trying to get some perspective.

 

[Richard III]

I know PDM smells, that's why immediately I thought everyone should go inside when I saw the sprayer arrive. The spray pattern certainly looked more like one I would use for cereal fungicides, than spraying pre-em's in a good breeze to me. We were perhaps 50m away, definitely no droplets large enough to feel, but the air not only smelt very different but felt damper too, however hard to be exact though.

Quite an unpleasant experience, and not one you could reasonably expect householders to put up with in my view.

 

[shakerator]

The stench will be the naphtha solvent evaporating off. Did you actually see clouds of drift or get wet? You'll get the smell regardless of droplet size.

I'm not condoning their actions, especially from the PR point of view but am trying to get some perspective.

Many pesticides contain naphtha but don't smell like PDM/Nirvana etc!

 

[franklin]

Try explaining the "its just the solvent" argument to the public!

The Syngenta fungicides like Concorde really stink too. I now switch the boom section nearest adjoining houses off, simply to avoid the bother / phonecalls, even when using bubblejet nozzles.

 

[Flat 10]

Its been said on here before just because you have a flash sprayer, been in FW, have every electronic gadget invented, your paperwork is in top order etc etc doesn't mean you can spray in any conditions

 

[Surgery]

With farms getting bigger in general with 1 machine I would imagine this is becoming common practice across the country , after all said manager or farmer under any pressure cannot delay application. The likes of us smaller growers can wait until conditions are "good to go".

But hey that's just progress

 

[Andy26]

You would think he could of found a more opportune time to apply it than in the middle of the day on a breezy bank holiday Monday?

Given its a residual spray anyway, you'd think early one morning (dropping the engine revs when spraying close to houses) would be a better time, job gets done, nobody is panicking of perceived poisioning, everybody happy.

Lets be honest you could be spraying water in a brand new sprayer that's never had a chemical other than H2O through it and the mere sight of it, would have every hypochondriac within 50 miles feigning illness.

 

[Surgery]

You would think he could of found a more opportune time to apply it than in the middle of the day on a breezy bank holiday Monday?

Given its a residual spray anyway, you'd think early one morning (dropping the engine revs when spraying close to houses) would be a better time, job gets done, nobody is panicing of perceived poisioning, everybody happy.

Lets be honest you could be spraying water in a brand new sprayer that's never had a chemical other than H2O through it and the mere sight of it, would have every hypochondriac within 50 miles feigning illness.

If it were a contractor all they seemed to be worried about is how fast they can go and another four pound something an acre , keep going !!

 

[Reg]

The answer to PDM and smell is surely to switch to an SC formulation such as Stomp Aqua, Most Micro, Cinder etc. I know it may cost more but it removes an awful lot of hassle. The problem comes with mixtures such as Crystal where the only option is to switch to Liberator + Stomp Aqua at considerably more cost.

 

[Brisel]

Good idea. @Ian at Bayer @Syngenta UK @johnwhutton - how about an additive that reduces the smell of concentrates? Much I quite like the whiff of Opus or Sanction it's not going down well with the public who will campaign to have them banned. We still need sprayer drivers with a bit of common sense but is it beyond the limits of product formulation to reconsider the smell of solvents?

 

[Feldspar]

I've seen and heard of and seen quite a bit of irresponsible spraying this year. Quite a bit of it is people farming a big area with one sprayer with very little wiggle room. Also see smaller farmers who just seem oblivious to the damage they are doing to everyone's reputation and the wider environment going out in clearly unsuitable conditions just because they haven't been organised enough. Problem is you only need a few culprits to make everyone look bad.

 

[Kidds]

The attitude always seems to be "Got to get this done and everybody else will have to put up with it".
Be it spraying, slurry, carting whatever. It's a wonder farmers don't get a bad name for themselves.

 

[snarling bee]

IMO the biggest culprits are the small farmer who either has another job, so does it at weekends etc, or they are so not with it that they always spray the day after a good sprayday: or the large farmer/contractor who has a lot to do.
The crime really is not to use bubble jets at no more than 2 bar in such situations.
If it had been me being sprayed with drift I think I would have had a word.

 

[Ian at Bayer]

Good idea. @Ian at Bayer @Syngenta UK @johnwhutton - how about an additive that reduces the smell of concentrates? Much I quite like the whiff of Opus or Sanction it's not going down well with the public who will campaign to have them banned. We still need sprayer drivers with a bit of common sense but is it beyond the limits of product formulation to reconsider the smell of solvents?

Not sure I can make any useful contribution to this thread, when younger and working in the field I recall the scent of hormone weedkillers in the air.

 

[johnwhutton]

Surely its a best practice situation and common courtesy. Its doesn't take a much to simply notify/warn people that you'll be spraying the field or try and avoid spraying next to houses during the weekends and peak times when people could be out and about if possible. Some people really do not help the industry!

With regards to spray odours. I understood many have smelling agents added (much like the gas in the home) to make them safer especially if they are odourless.

The odour from others are result in the breakdown of the chemical once it has been mixed and usually give off Sulphur gases etc. which is a natural process. I can understand why no-one likes the odour, but surely its better than it being completely smell free and the general public breathing it in being unaware as this would seem as if its being covered up.

 

[Andrew K]

And Metasystox!

Richard, just name and shame these guys, they are damaging farmings image.

 

[Baling Hay]

We were enjoying the sunshine this afternoon with friends, sat out in their garden. After a while I spotted a sprayer roll up into the maize field across the road, there was a decent breeze blowing straight at us and I knew there was a good chance of there being PDM in the tank, so I suggested we went inside. Unfortunately everyone thought I was joking, however I managed to get everyone on their feet by the time he went past, but even I was shocked at the feeling of damp air and the stench.

The sprayer was very smart and run by a professional spray contractor, but such thoughtless operators are only going to cause yet more problems for the industry. It's hardly rocket science to apply pre-ems with a coarse spray pattern and to slow down as you go past a row of houses.

Disgusting and very dangerous! Funny how everyone thought you were joking, many people are ignorant as to how bad some of these chemicals are.

 

[NH-James]

New-ish Bateman RB-35?

 

[fudge]

Far fewer "bystander" problems if you limit spraying to office hours and not bank holiday weekends! Having said that my severest critic doesn't seem bothered by wind speed or direction now I give him notice. I guess it must be my charm.