Grain Producers Australia is urging growers to be alert, vigilant and proactive, to maintain high standards for pesticide application, and protect crops from spray drift damage.
GPA’s timely warning comes after Cotton Australia recently raised their concerns about early signs of off-target spray drift damage, with ongoing wet weather and seasonal challenges, leading to escalating weed growth.
GPA and Cotton Australia have previously joined forces to highlight important messages and shared advice, to help protect producers and industry participants.
In particular, avoid spraying under ‘hazardous inversion’ conditions (most commonly occurring at night); when cold air is trapped near the ground, spray droplets can remain suspended in the air for hours, and they can subsequently travel well beyond the intended target, causing damage.
The need to remain vigilant and follow best practice standards is vitally important to GPA’s members and essential to ensuring grain producers can retain access to important crop protection products.
GPA Southern Grower Director, and RD&E Spokesperson, Andrew Weidemann, said whilst the majority of grain producers do the right thing when applying these products, according to label requirements, whilst factoring-in local weather conditions, there is no room for complacency.
For more information about spray drift, or for spray drift resources, head to grainproducers.com.au or grdc.com.au.
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