February 11, 2005

Specialist: Illegal fungicide spraying won't pay off in the end

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Within the house of horrors that has become the soybean rust saga, some farmers are finding a window of opportunity.

Producers who own spray equipment might offer custom fungicide application for soybean growers who don't have or cannot purchase the equipment, said Fred Whitford, director of Purdue University Pesticide Programs. Farmers considering spraying-for-hire, however, are taking big risks if they don't provide the services legally, he said.

Farmers certified to apply chemicals on their crops aren't allowed to treat other fields without advanced certification and meeting other requirements, Whitford said. Not only could farmers face fines for noncompliance, but also liability if they fail to control rust on soybean fields they've sprayed. Also, many farm insurance policies do not cover damage resulting from applications for hire.

"In Indiana, farmers who pass the core exam receive a private applicator permit," Whitford said. "This permit allows them to spray herbicides, insecticides and fungicides on property that they own, rent or lease. If a farmer wants to make a little extra money off their equipment by spraying other farmers' fields, they have to become fully commercially certified. That means they have to pass two exams - the core and the category 1A, which stands for agriculture.

"Once they pass those two tests and are certified, pay $30 for a business license and show proof of liability insurance, then they are legal to charge money to make chemical applications."

Indiana is home to about 16,000 private applicators.

Obtaining a commercial applicator's license costs between $64 and $115, depending on where the test is taken and if a farmer also enrolls in a training class. However, most farmers are turned off by the cost of insurance. A commercial liability policy can cost thousands of dollars for the minimum $300,000 in coverage required to operate a spraying business, Whitford said.

For farmers with sprayer equipment but no desire to earn a commercial applicator's permit or purchase commercial insurance, there is another way to put their machinery to use and earn additional income, Whitford said.

"One of the questions that I've had from farmers is, 'What other options do I have instead of buying insurance?'" he said. "A lot of agribusiness retail stores, co-ops and independent dealers that have commercial applicator permits are going to be hiring farmers and their sprayers. They'll make the farmers part-time employees and pay them for their equipment and their time, whether it's per hour or per acre.

"These farmers who are hired will be part of the co-op's or independent's insurance plan. So the farmer might not have the coverage but still pick up a little extra money for having the spray equipment or the manpower to do the job."

Part-time sprayer jobs are expected to be plentiful, since sprayer equipment is difficult to come by given the recent demand, and fungicide is the only effective method for controlling soybean rust, Whitford said.

Farmers who decide to acquire a commercial permit can do so in one of three ways:

• Purchase two study manuals - $32 apiece - and take the commercial test at Purdue's West Lafayette, Ind., campus. For testing dates, contact Jill Davis at (765) 494-1594.

• Purchase the two study manuals and take the test at H&R Block locations authorized to give the exam. H&R Block charges about $50 per test. For locations and exam times call (800) 345-6559.

• Enroll in a Purdue core exam training program, followed by a category 1A training program. Both are conducted on the Purdue campus. The all-day core exam training, offered each month, includes the exam and the training manual. Category 1A training programs will be offered on Feb. 18 and March 4. The training programs are $90 each. Registration forms are available online.

The last thing a farmer should do is apply fungicide illegally, Whitford said. Unlike spraying herbicides and insecticides for weeds and insects, few row crop farmers have used fungicides, he said. Fewer still have experienced, or even seen, soybean rust.

"Soybean rust is going to be a different creature," Whitford said. "It's going to be a lot more difficult to know whether rust is even in the field before a farmer sprays, so it will be possible to spray and not control the disease. If that happens, the farmers who are hiring their friends and neighbors to apply fungicide are going to want someone to pay if their soybean yields are reduced.

"A lot of people are seeing an opportunity to use their equipment and manpower to make money and to help their farm friends out. But we would strongly encourage them not to spray for money without a commercial license and insurance."

Writer: Steve Leer, (765) 494-8415, sleer@purdue.edu

Source: Fred Whitford, (765) 494-4566, fwhitford@purdue.edu

Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
Agriculture News Page

Related Web sites:
Purdue Agriculture Soybean Rust Page

Purdue Plant & Pest Diagnostic Laboratory Soybean Rust Page

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