Make more hay by eliminating weeds; herbicide application detailed

By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas Edition

Producers line up to watch the parade of tractors pulling hay equipment during the field day. -Staff photo by Taylor

June 13, 2002 -- "If it doesn't say (approved for) cattle or livestock on it, don't use it," said Texas Department of Agriculture's Gary Baker, about herbicides to be used on hay fields and pastures.

Producers attending the Wharton County Hay Field Day heard Baker; Dr. David Bade, professor and Extension forage specialist with Texas A&M in Bryan; and Dr. Larry Falconer, Extension Economist, Corpus Christi, update the latest herbicide application regulations for hay fields.

With the many environmental and property laws concerning herbicide application, Baker explained the licensing process and requirements to the crowd.

"To maintain a license, you have to have what they call continuing education units ... 15 hours over a five-year period," he said.

Ten of these hours can be taken by correspondence video or over the Internet, but five of the hours require classroom attendance and discussion. Certificates are then mailed to those who have acquired the required 15 hours.

"Used to, in the past in Wharton County, you went to a training and got a license. Now, they have a test that goes along with the license," he said about the seriousness of pesticide/herbicide application regulations.

While some may not realize it, Baker said, the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) does "spot checks" which include inspections of the property to assure that the producer is abiding by the regulations connected with pesticide/herbicide application and certification.

If a producer has a private applicator's license and lets it expire, even with the correct number of classroom hours, the new test and license cannot be issued for one year from the expiration date.

He said that Wharton County is a "regulated county" when it comes to the application of herbicides, and that record keeping of when spraying is done is mandatory.

"You have to have a license to purchase it, a license to use it, and you have to keep application records," said Baker.

He strongly suggested making note of the time the producers start spraying, although it is not necessary, in case of complaints of drifting.

"Those lawyers up in Austin are going to look more at that (record) than taking your word for it," he added.

The spray permits are for only 180 days, and even if there are pesticides leftover in the sprayer, once that 180 days is over, a new permit must obtained before they can be used. The spray permit number is to be recorded each time spraying is done.

Baker said producers should be sure and read the labels and go by the active ingredients when using the recording number in the record book. Some of the products may contain regulated ingredients that are not included in the name of the product.

"Make sure the product is labeled for what you're treating," he said.

Besides staying within regulation guidelines and protecting against drift onto an adjacent property, producers should be very vigilant when spraying around cattle. Many of the products have a "30-day slaughter" rule written in the label.

In a related topic covered at the field day, Falconer provided producers with a comparison of establishment costs for bermudagrass from seed and Bluestem. He said while the cost may be up to $50 or more per acre to plant the seed in a prepared seedbed, producers should pro-rate the cost over approximately 20 years - the amount of time they should gain off the seeding.

"Hay patches have changed a lot since I was a kid," Falconer reflected. He said the price he was quoted for Gordo Bluestem was $20 per pound of pure live seed (pls), and the Medio Bluestem ranged between $20-22 per pound of pls.

Bade commented, though, that the Tifton 85 coastal will produce more than the seeded bermuda per tonnage.

"Some people will say it's so easy to get that seed out there. But, it's not so easy to get that seeded bermudagrass up," said Bade.

He reminded producers that the same herbicides cannot always be used for established and seeded pastures. Also, that there are new names with old combined herbicides.

"The bottom line is if you want good quality hay and weed-free hay, get a product that can help you," said Bade.

"When you're doing weed control, identify your target (weed) and then we can select a product to help you."

(Details concerning the above information can be obtained by talking to the Texas Cooperative Extension agent in your county.)