Presenter Abstracts for the 2005 Annual Workshop
Hands-on Label Comprehension, Emelie Swackhamer
Get your audience involved when teaching label comprehension! Pesticide Peril is a game show-style teaching tool that is available in two formats. The "unplugged" format uses a simple display board, needs no electricity or projectors, and is useful for classes in farm buildings or very light greenhouses. There is also a power point format which is especially useful for larger audiences. Use our questions or substitute your own to teach virtually any topic. Since developing this game in September of 2003 (borrowing some ideas from the Universities of Nebraska and Arizona) the unplugged version has been used to teach core credits at 24 events, reaching 1,099 people. Participants have identified it as a very effective teaching tool and have commented "I've been coming to meetings for 30 years, and this was the best core credit I ever attended".
Nozzle Selection, Dr. Andrew Landers
Correct nozzle selection is one of the most important yet inexpensive aspects of pesticide application. A nozzle’s droplet spectrum determines deposition and drift. Conventional nozzles, when fitted to a sprayer, produce droplets in the range of 10 – 450 microns. Penetration into the crop canopy, deposition and retention on the target leaves or fruit and off-target drift can be major challenges.
Increasing the Volume Median Diameter (VMD) will certainly reduce drift, but too large a droplet will bounce off the leaves to the ground, thus causing pollution, wasting money and resulting in less product on the target. Drift has been a major concern for some years, off target application wastes money, reduces deposition on the target plant, pollutes water courses and may cause nausea to other people.
This session at the workshop will demonstrate how droplets are formed, how they behave under various conditions such as pressure, flow rate and wind. Participants will learn how different nozzles create different size droplets and how the operator can select the correct nozzle for the target, based upon nozzle output and spray quality classification.
Navigating Pesticide Safety Web Pages & Drift Minimization Software
This session will cover various online websites and resources. Participants will be shown how to create their own Pesticide Peril game, a demonstration of drift minimization software, and a walkthrough of various online resources. [Resources]
Pesticide Formulation, Patricia Hipkins
This session begins with a discussion of why, when, and how pesticide safety educators need to use a "pesticide" in programs – and what readily-available, (relatively) non-toxic household products can substitute for actual formulated pesticides. This is followed by an activity that reinforces the properties of various pesticide formulations. The session concludes with an activity that uses substitute "pesticides" to teach and demonstrate incompatibility. (If/as time permits, the group will discuss active learning – what is and what is not – and the pros, cons, and logistics of conducing "hands-on" training sessions.)
Toxicity & Exposure Reduction, Dr. Kerry Hoffman-Richards
Dr. Kerry Richards Hoffman, Pesticide Programs Coordinator at Penn State University, uses fluorescent markers to explore the role of personal protective equipment in preventing pesticide exposure. Participants will perform several types of "pesticide" applications and then be analyzed for exposure. Kerry supplies each person with a container of the fluorescent marker for future training purposes.
Calibration Demonstration, Wayne Buhler
An overview of the principles and methods of equipment calibration will be given. This will be followed by participation in a "get-your-hands-wet" calibration exercise involving the calibration of liquid and granular application equipment. Educational resources on diluting pesticides, selecting nozzle tips, and measuring treatment areas will be provided.