Crop Spraying (Question & Comment)

[Psamathe]

Following on from the VW/NOx/Air Pollution discussions and for those of us in rural parts and based on several experiences I have a question and comment.

Question: What is it that farmers spray on their fields around now that is a liquid spray and deep greeny/mustardy colour and smalls a bit creosote'y (my description of the small may be rubbish as it's more personal recollections of similar stuff and for me, impossible to describe).

I ask because last year (several times) I was cycling along on the road and passed fields being sprayed and there was a cloud of this dark green/mustard colour stuff around and I had to pass through. Happened again day before yesterday (different place to previous year) - same type of sprayer, same colour stuff and same smell. And I assume that as I can smell it I must be breathing it in. Always sprayed on bare earth (I assume shortly after planting seed).

And being a cynic, I don't accept government's "as we've permitted it it must be safe".

So a question: "What is this stuff" ?

And a comment: "It isn't only cities where you get questionable emissions to breath-in"

(And don't get me started on woodburners and the dangers of wood smoke (in relation to cigarette smoke ...)...).

Ian

[Mick F]

Usually, it's slurry IME.

The cow muck is well rotted and mixed with water to re-activate it. It's poured into a big hopper thingy with a mixer and flung or sprayed onto the field behind the tractor.

Smells awful, and not really reminiscent of the muck that came out of the cow in the first place.
It's a pale brown orangey colour.

[beardy]

I thought the question was about aerial spraying. I seem to recall the one for pea crops was worrying but I bet that has stopped being used now.

We used to be subject to a copper spray (copper sulphate?) in the apple orchards from something behind a tractor. That didnt worry me much.

[Tacascarow]

Usually, it's slurry IME.

The cow muck is well rotted and mixed with water to re-activate it. It's poured into a big hopper thingy with a mixer and flung or sprayed onto the field behind the tractor.

Smells awful, and not really reminiscent of the muck that came out of the cow in the first place.
It's a pale brown orangey colour.

Cow slurry doesn't smell of creosote!
My guess is a pre emergent fungicide but I'm not sure what variety.
The creosote smell could well be the wetting agent used to get the chemical to mix with water.
Many pesticides won't mix with water naturally & need assistance.
I've used Benlate in the past (post emergence fungicide) & that had a similar smell but white in colour.

[Mick F]

Are you sure?
Creosote is a natural product.

We have to clean or chimney of the stuff. It comes from wood and is distilled tar.
Why shouldn't slurry be smelling of creosote? .......... as well as other smells.

[axel_knutt]

What is it that they spray on the crops that I can taste in the raw carrots I eat?

[fausto copy]

The liquid slurry is usually dispersed from a tanker type trailer with a deflector on the bottom of the tank, whereas any chemical sprays are usually from horizontal arms attached to the tractor and are often up to 15 metres wide.
I think it's the latter that the OP is referring to and several of the fields behind us have undergone this very process these last few days.
In this case the sprays are onto bare ground, the farmer having only recently harvested the oil seed rape and ploughed the remnants in.
I despair about the amount of spraying done these days, as the rape was sprayed at least two or three times and now the ground itself has been sprayed.
Luckily, it's just beyond the reach of my organic garden and I can tell you that the carrots we lifted over the weekend are some of the best we've ever tasted.
However, it seems that the slugs and woodlice are of the same opinion.

fausto.

[pwa]

Are you sure?
Creosote is a natural product.

We have to clean or chimney of the stuff. It comes from wood and is distilled tar.
Why shouldn't slurry be smelling of creosote? .......... as well as other smells.

Slurry is cow muck, urine and water and smells nothing like creosote. It would probably block the sprayers used for chemical spraying.

[Mick F]

Slurry is cow muck, urine and water and smells nothing like creosote.

I think it does by the time it's been treated and reactivated and mixed.
Creosote is a natural product, like I said. The stuff you paint on fences and sheds is different stuff.

Stick your head up our chimney, and you can smell creosote.

[Psamathe]

Usually, it's slurry IME.

The cow muck is well rotted and mixed with water to re-activate it. It's poured into a big hopper thingy with a mixer and flung or sprayed onto the field behind the tractor.

Smells awful, and not really reminiscent of the muck that came out of the cow in the first place.
It's a pale brown orangey colour.

Cow slurry doesn't smell of creosote!
My guess is a pre emergent fungicide but I'm not sure what variety.
The creosote smell could well be the wetting agent used to get the chemical to mix with water.
Many pesticides won't mix with water naturally & need assistance.
I've used Benlate in the past (post emergence fungicide) & that had a similar smell but white in colour.

Definitely not slurry. Smell very different. They are spreading muck and slurry at the moment as well but this stuff is definitely not that. (I don't actually mind the smell of much and slurry - not that Id like living with it all day every day, but briefly as you cycle past it's what I think of as natural and adds to the variety of senses as you cycle past.

Also always sprayed from the ground with those special spraying machines (the dedicated sprayers not tank/spray behind a tractor).

Rode through a farm the other day and farmer was emptying his sprayer (presumably draining out the leftovers and/or washing it out) and the pool accumulating was white. Though that stuff didn't smell of anything.

Ian

[Psamathe]

Are you sure?
Creosote is a natural product.

We have to clean or chimney of the stuff. It comes from wood and is distilled tar.
Why shouldn't slurry be smelling of creosote? .......... as well as other smells.

Slurry is cow muck, urine and water and smells nothing like creosote. It would probably block the sprayers used for chemical spraying.

This stuff (last and this year) was a fine spray as it formed a cloud that drifted in the light wind. One list last autumn you could see the dark green cloud from quite some distance as approaching.

Unfortunately neither time have I seen what the driver was wearing (i.e were they in full chemical protective gear breathing from a tank or was in just jeans and T-shrt and breathing the same pollution).

Ian

[Mick F]

This stuff (last and this year) was a fine spray as it formed a cloud that drifted in the light wind. One list last autumn you could see the dark green cloud from quite some distance as approaching.

Never seen anything like that, so I don't know.

All I ever see is the big spreader thing flinging the stuff about. Sometimes it smells like muck, other times like (maybe) beer that's gone off.

[DaveP]

Rode through a farm the other day and farmer was emptying his sprayer

I was thinking of suggesting the the simplest course might be to ask a farmer...
Sounds to me like you've missed the perfect opportunity!
I've generally found farmers to be willing to answer questions about their work if asked in a polite non confrontational manner. All you need by way of justification is to say that you are wondering if its something you should keep well clear of while on your bike, because of being more exposed than a motorist.

[Psamathe]

Rode through a farm the other day and farmer was emptying his sprayer

I was thinking of suggesting the the simplest course might be to ask a farmer...
Sounds to me like you've missed the perfect opportunity!
I've generally found farmers to be willing to answer questions about their work if asked in a polite non confrontational manner. All you need by way of justification is to say that you are wondering if its something you should keep well clear of while on your bike, because of being more exposed than a motorist.

I agree about farmers being friendly when asked questions. I stopped one and asked about the height of maize plants as I'd noticed that the row nearest the road was always quite small, next row back a bit taller, and only after a few rows were they to the full height. Farmer didn't know but was appreciative that people were taking an interest.

In the case of the spraying it's harder as they are out in the field in a high large windowed cab and I'd have to stop, cross a ditch, walk out into their field (getting even more sprayed, stop them working ... so I haven't.

Ian

[barrym]

I stopped one and asked about the height of maize plants as I'd noticed that the row nearest the road was always quite small, next row back a bit taller, and only after a few rows were they to the full height. Farmer didn't know but was appreciative that people were taking an interest.


Ian

I am told that the plants nearest the edges of the field are 'stressed'. Hedges etc taking nutrients from them.

Regarding slurry, it often has a lot of disinfectant in it so has that creosote like smell.

Barry