Cotton Australia Board Member, and cotton farmer Bernie Bierhoff has urged extra caution for all farmers and spray contractors to avoid the devastating impact of spray drift this season.

Bernie, from Rowena, near Moree has been involved in cotton for 30 years but two years ago he witnessed more damage in one location than he had ever seen before.

“Two seasons ago we were really impacted hard by spray drift. It was inversion-type damage, and we lost three-bales a hectare compared to the other areas which were not impacted at all. It was a huge impact, and I never want to see that again.”

The devastation two years ago motivated Bernie to help get the word out to others. “Every year I talk to my neighbours, and we discuss the problems and highlight exactly where we all have our cotton planted.

“It’s important to understand spray drift can travel for many kilometres in inversion conditions and that makes spraying in the right conditions all the more important.”

CA General Manager Michael Murray said there are other tools that can help all farmers to mitigate the risk of off-target spray events.

“We ask all our farmers to map their activities on SataCrop, a mapping tool informing all stakeholders of the location of potentially sensitive crops and use WAND towers, a powerful tool that can quickly forecast and detect hazardous conditions and inversions, enabling growers and spray contractors to spray according to the best conditions and in compliance with label requirements.”

Bernie urged farmers to avoid Group 4 herbicides including 2,4-D because cotton is particularly sensitive to spray drift. “There are lots of other options out there including using residuals to minimise the times people need to spray, however if you use the product according to the label and use it in the right conditions, that will reduce the risks substantially.”

Cotton Australia continues to train, educate and communicate regularly on what is expected during the spraying season.

To sign up for WAND visit: https://www.goannaag.com/wand-network

For Satacrop visit: https://satacrop.com.au/

For advice from the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) the body responsible for the spray drift regulatory approach, visit: https://apvma.gov.au/node/10796