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| 11 sep 2014 |
14:16 |
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Stewardship in practice at Bayer ForwardFarms
The all-important goal of safeguarding farmers’ health and protecting the environment is achieved at this Bayer ForwardFarm by means of proactive stewardship measures to protect the health of farmers and consumers, maintain biodiversity on the farm, and protect the environment.
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Product integrity
Only certified, high-quality seeds and registered plant protection products should be used in sustainable agriculture. Only registered products have been thoroughly tested for their efficacy against plant pests, diseases or weeds, and their safety for humans and the environment before they receive official approval and are registered for agricultural use. For safe and effective usage crop protection products (e.g. potatoes) must be handled and used in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations, which are printed on the product label. Prior to application of a crop protection product, a farmer must check if the crop protection product is suitable for the intended purpose and what safety precautions need to be observed. This is what Jan and Josse Peeters do. Crop protection products should only be purchased from trusted dealers in order to avoid illegal counterfeit products being traded or used. As Jan and Josse Peeters know full well, counterfeit products can harm a farmer’s health, the crop that should actually be protected, and the environment.
Human health
Best practice for safe use of crop protection products always recommends wearing suitable protective clothing during handling and application. For information about minimal personal protective equipment that is tailor-made for use of crop protection products, the crop, the application equipment, and the mode of application, Bayer CropScience provides an online tool known as Dress Code.
Furthermore, the crop protection products used for growing potatoes at Hof ten Bosch farm are chosen on the basis of their performance and compatibility with the environment. At Hof ten Bosch all the crop protection products are applied by means of closed systems to reduce applicator exposure to the products.
Environmental protection
The risks of contamination of the aquatic environment by crop protection products are predominantly related to handling issues during sprayer filling and washing operations. Besides good crop protection practices, a precise solution such as Phyobac® is necessary to manage the rinsing and washing water of treatment equipment. Since 2012, the Hof ten Bosch farm has been introducing measures to optimize wastewater management, e.g. a sprayer filling and rinsing area. A bioremediation system known as Phytobac® was installed, all relevant legal aspects are currently being considered, and registration is under way.
How the Phytobac® system works
Wash water generated in the Phytobac system is collected and distributed over a substrate of soil (70%) and straw (30%) in a waterproof container. Potential product residues are degraded biologically and the clean water evaporates. The straw in the Phytobac serves to feed the microorganisms and is stocked up once a year. Once set up, a substrate can be used for many years.
Reducing soil erosion
In collaboration with the Flemish authorities, Jan and Josse Peeters installed 7 ha of grass buffer strips as plot borders. These help prevent any run-off of soil, nutrients and crop protection products not contained by other means. Under the terms of a five-year subsidized contract, they allow these strips to grow without chemical intervention and mows them from mid-July. This option reduces input costs, delivers ecological benefits, and ensures nutrients return to the soil.
Increasing biodiversity
In collaboration with Bayer CropScience, Jan and Josse Peeters implemented the following measures to increase biodiversity and reduce the ecological impact of their farming operations:
- Mixed hedges to act as a windshield for fruit crops and help to prevent spray drift.
- Flowering strips to provide continuous flowers and pollen from January to October and thus create a reservoir for beneficial insects and pollinators.
- Easy-to-maintain nesting boxes for small birds that control codling moths by eating the caterpillars, and resting places for larger predatory species, such as falcons, buzzards or owls, that feed on the rats and mice that can damage fruit trees.
- Insect traps for codling moths to facilitate the monitoring of pest levels and indicate whether spraying is necessary.
- Shelters, such as blue bags with straw or inverted cups, for earwigs that eat codling moth larvae.
- Pheromone dispensers to confuse codling moths seeking to breed.
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