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Managing Herbicide Drift in Vegetable Operations: Lessons from Risk Management Workshops

Alessandro Holzapfel, Maria Bampasidou, Kathryn Fontenot, and Ronald Strahan

Summary

The LSU AgCenter received funding from SERME to provide trainings on financial and production risk management to horticulture producers in Louisiana emphasizing herbicide drift management and proper use of chemicals. The workshops aim to help producers document drift incidences by identifying drift damage, relate information to Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry agents and assess financial costs. The workshops also offer on-site training on chemical use and cleaning tanks. In this poster presentation, we will present information on setting the field trials, applying pesticides and herbicides, and lessons learned as we implemented the control and treatment plots. The two crops we will feature are tomatoes and squash. We will also present results on symptomology and damage identification as part of the workshop assessment. As specialty crops are receiving more attention regarding crop insurance, we believe that this presentation will serve as a tool to mitigate and manage production risk related to herbicide use. Educators will be provided with guidance to employ the trials at their own state and materials to get them started on similar endeavors.

Details

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