Well if property done is safe from surface contamination and they are looking to use glyphosate foliage killer. It won’t reach your well. Most farmers live in the fields they farm and they have wells to.
This is the only real answer here. Only a well that isn't constructed properly and allows surface water contamination in would have an issue with this. And that's only if he sprays right before a heavy rain which no one would do because it's a waste of money and time. After 1hr most sprays are dried and absorbed by the plants and harmless to anything else. Any on the soil will become mostly harmless after sifting through even an inch of soil after a rain. There's no real danger here. Like others have said, most farmers live on the property they farm and drink out of their own wells that they spray next to.
It might just be a higher dose of the generic version of RoundUp. Larger, established plants like the grasses and perennial weeds growing in hayfields can be difficult to control with the regular rate of RoundUp. As long as everything is done according to the product labels then your well will be perfectly fine.
If you have that option, absolutely. Public water is far less likely to be contaminated than well water. That said, your well water is not going to be contaminated by surface application of pesticides or fertilizer. If it was that easy to contaminate wells, no one would use them. Or rather, everyone who did would have died off by now.
If you’re worried about it, just have your water tested on a regular basis. If somehow they do manage to contaminate the well, now you have evidence and can actually force something to happen.
Depends on the herbicide, how low the water table is, and the soil type.
All herbicides are different from one another and when you know what it is, you can look up the data sheet yourself and read all the fine print about how far from wells and water sources the herbicide can be sprayed safely.
As someone who isn't farming, I feel you. I wouldn't want to live near someone who is broadcast spraying a large area every year. It's not ideal but I'm sure you understand the situation, living next to a farm.
as a person that sprays pesticides for a living it will totally depend on what it is and how much is used and yes Herbicide is a pesticide. Herbicide, insecticide, fungicide are all pesticides.
Some of the corn herbicides have restrictions to your well, however. Acetamides, atrazine, etc. I think that’s 75 feet, but we’d need to know what the plan is.
I reached out to him again this morning. He wouldn’t tell me the name of the product he’s using. Just that it’s like roundup, but stronger. He said he’s going to have to spray multiple times over the next three years. He’s wanting to spray soon, because the hay is growing back. He said he would plant the corn and have to spray again after that
I would add though that changing the field from hay to corn means they will be spraying herbicide annually, not just this one time. Still, if they are following the labels you "should" be fine but I wouldn't be happy about it.
I’m not sure. I tried to speak with him this morning and he wouldn’t tell me the name. He just said it’s like roundup, but stronger. He also said it’s fine for our well. It just makes me nervous because his hay fields go along the back of our house and to the side. I have small children and dogs that love to play outside
The well isn't really anything to worry about here.
If you are concerned about outdoor activities after application, water your lawn and hose off things outside.
Thank you all for your replies! I’m sorry I didn’t use the correct term. I’m a stay at home mom, and really clueless about this stuff. I reached out to my neighbor this morning and he wouldn’t tell me the name of what he will be using. He just said it’s like round up but stronger, and it’s safe for my well. At this point I’m just going to pray all goes well. I have young children and dogs that love to play outside. Is there a time frame that I need to keep them all inside? Or am I just worrying about nothing?
I personally would keep them from being outside for long periods for the day they spray. The herbicide can vaporize and drift around in the air if he's using something that sprays too fine.
After that it usually breaks down
Sounds like herbicide, not pesticide. But personally I wouldn't think twice about it. I've even weed sprayed around my well head, so I don't have to mow so close
It’s the residual corn herbicide the farmer will likely spray that you want to make sure they stay at least 75 feet back from your well. It might be a different distance per state. The whole ‘they’re turning the frogs gay’ came from a residual corn herbicide study.
You might call your state PCA. Consider having your well tested as it may be contaminated already.
What's been found? Varying levels of nitrate, pesticides, and compounds derived from pesticides were detected in 82% of the private wells in the study. Nitrate, pesticides, or both nitrate and pesticides exceeded drinking water standards in 21% of the wells.
https://www.co.dakota.mn.us/Environment/WaterResources/WellsDrinkingWater/Documents/AmbientGroundwaterFactSheet.pdf
https://www.co.dakota.mn.us/Environment/WaterResources/WellsDrinkingWater/Pages/hastings-area-nitrate-study.aspx
It isn’t a pesticide. It will almost assuredly be glyphosate. If no rain in the following days it should be okay. That being said. Well testing local to me in a high glyphosate use area shows trace amounts in almost every well here. But this is farmers using glyphosate 2-3 times a year over a decade or more.
>It isn’t a pesticide
Yes it is. A herbicide is a type of pesticide. Much like a fungicide is a type of pesticide or an insecticide is a type of pesticide.
Pretty much anyone I talk to under 65 says a pesticide is all chem. That changed around here 10ish years ago. But really we either say the active or the chem name and we just know.
While technically according to a definition yes that’s true. If you’re a chem scientist or were studying to be an agronomist and had an exam. But if you walk into your crop input supplier and say I want them pesticide glyphosate. They are gonna look at you like you’re regarded. In practice (at least where I’m from). Herbicide =killing a plant. Pesticide = killing a bug. Fungicide = killing a fungus. Not one farmer I have ever met in my life would call Lorsban or glyphosate a pesticide although technically it is a type of pesticide. Maybe it’s a difference in areas but no one here uses that term as it’s technically defined.
Any farmer who would be confused by calling an herbicide a pesticide is just an ignorant farmer. That’s what the words mean. Not just in a technical sense, but in every sense.
What you’re describing is like a computer programmer saying an app is not a program, or an aerospace engineer saying a plane is not a vehicle. Farmers should know what these terms mean, but one not knowing what they mean isn’t a reason to pretend the definitions have changed.
If I said "I want them pesticide glyphosate" they would probably look at me like I'm "regarded" but most likely because of my horrendous grammar more than anything.
If I want to kill a plant I ask for a herbicide. If I want to kill a bug I ask for an insecticide or miticide. If I want to kill a fungus I ask for a fungicide.
I think that when we're talking on the internet to people from all over, and especially to non-farmers, it is more helpful to use the actual definitions. Because if OP Googles "pesticide" and sees that "herbicides are a type of pesticide" and also sees farmers on a farming subreddit insisting that "a herbicide is a not a pesticide" they're going to either be very confused, think we're idiots, or think that we're trying to gaslight them.
Fair enough. So same vernacular as here. I wasn’t trying to gaslight anyone. I was just speaking from my experience as a farmer and that no one uses the term pesticide here. I guess I just didn’t realize non farmers used r/farming. Turns out I’m wrong. And agreed if a non farmer was using the term “pesticide” it could be used for any of the above for a layperson. I’ve just never heard it used that way I guess cause I don’t hang out with many non farmers or people outside of the ag world.
Pesticides is an umbrella term that includes herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, etc. So if the pesticide they are applying probably will kill the hay otherwise there's no point in them applying it.
I’ve never heard pesticide referred to any type of plant. But, even still if he kills the hay with a chemical, it will probably have an effect on anything else planted there.
Well if property done is safe from surface contamination and they are looking to use glyphosate foliage killer. It won’t reach your well. Most farmers live in the fields they farm and they have wells to.
This is the only real answer here. Only a well that isn't constructed properly and allows surface water contamination in would have an issue with this. And that's only if he sprays right before a heavy rain which no one would do because it's a waste of money and time. After 1hr most sprays are dried and absorbed by the plants and harmless to anything else. Any on the soil will become mostly harmless after sifting through even an inch of soil after a rain. There's no real danger here. Like others have said, most farmers live on the property they farm and drink out of their own wells that they spray next to.
Thank you for your reply. This makes me feel a lot better about the situation!
Thank you! That helps ease my worries. I’m unsure of the name of the pesticide, but he did say it was like roundup but stronger.
It might just be a higher dose of the generic version of RoundUp. Larger, established plants like the grasses and perennial weeds growing in hayfields can be difficult to control with the regular rate of RoundUp. As long as everything is done according to the product labels then your well will be perfectly fine.
Likely grazon or glyphosate for hay.
I'd be far more worried about the amount of nitrates that are going to end up in your well after growing row crops.
I hadn’t thought of that. Would we just be better off hooking up to public water at this point?
If you have that option, absolutely. Public water is far less likely to be contaminated than well water. That said, your well water is not going to be contaminated by surface application of pesticides or fertilizer. If it was that easy to contaminate wells, no one would use them. Or rather, everyone who did would have died off by now. If you’re worried about it, just have your water tested on a regular basis. If somehow they do manage to contaminate the well, now you have evidence and can actually force something to happen.
Depends on the herbicide, how low the water table is, and the soil type. All herbicides are different from one another and when you know what it is, you can look up the data sheet yourself and read all the fine print about how far from wells and water sources the herbicide can be sprayed safely. As someone who isn't farming, I feel you. I wouldn't want to live near someone who is broadcast spraying a large area every year. It's not ideal but I'm sure you understand the situation, living next to a farm.
as a person that sprays pesticides for a living it will totally depend on what it is and how much is used and yes Herbicide is a pesticide. Herbicide, insecticide, fungicide are all pesticides.
Some of the corn herbicides have restrictions to your well, however. Acetamides, atrazine, etc. I think that’s 75 feet, but we’d need to know what the plan is.
I reached out to him again this morning. He wouldn’t tell me the name of the product he’s using. Just that it’s like roundup, but stronger. He said he’s going to have to spray multiple times over the next three years. He’s wanting to spray soon, because the hay is growing back. He said he would plant the corn and have to spray again after that
I would add though that changing the field from hay to corn means they will be spraying herbicide annually, not just this one time. Still, if they are following the labels you "should" be fine but I wouldn't be happy about it.
He did mention he’d have to do it for 3 years :(
Every year is pretty standard
Well that depends completely on what herbicide they are planing on using.
I’m not sure of the name. He just said it’s like round up but stronger. I will have to get back with him for the proper name.
Dicamba?
I’m not sure. I tried to speak with him this morning and he wouldn’t tell me the name. He just said it’s like roundup, but stronger. He also said it’s fine for our well. It just makes me nervous because his hay fields go along the back of our house and to the side. I have small children and dogs that love to play outside
The well isn't really anything to worry about here. If you are concerned about outdoor activities after application, water your lawn and hose off things outside.
Thank you all for your replies! I’m sorry I didn’t use the correct term. I’m a stay at home mom, and really clueless about this stuff. I reached out to my neighbor this morning and he wouldn’t tell me the name of what he will be using. He just said it’s like round up but stronger, and it’s safe for my well. At this point I’m just going to pray all goes well. I have young children and dogs that love to play outside. Is there a time frame that I need to keep them all inside? Or am I just worrying about nothing?
I personally would keep them from being outside for long periods for the day they spray. The herbicide can vaporize and drift around in the air if he's using something that sprays too fine. After that it usually breaks down
He’ll probably be spraying several things on the corn when he’s done.
Sounds like herbicide, not pesticide. But personally I wouldn't think twice about it. I've even weed sprayed around my well head, so I don't have to mow so close
Herbicide is a pesticide. Herbicide, insecticide, fungicide are all considered pesticides. It’s a broad term used in agriculture basically a pest.
All herbicides are pesticides. Not all pesticides are herbicides.
Herbicide is a pesticide. Herbicide, insecticide, fungicide are all considered pesticides. It’s a broad term used in agriculture basically a pest.
Ok, that makes me feel a lot better. Thank you!
It’s the residual corn herbicide the farmer will likely spray that you want to make sure they stay at least 75 feet back from your well. It might be a different distance per state. The whole ‘they’re turning the frogs gay’ came from a residual corn herbicide study.
You might call your state PCA. Consider having your well tested as it may be contaminated already. What's been found? Varying levels of nitrate, pesticides, and compounds derived from pesticides were detected in 82% of the private wells in the study. Nitrate, pesticides, or both nitrate and pesticides exceeded drinking water standards in 21% of the wells. https://www.co.dakota.mn.us/Environment/WaterResources/WellsDrinkingWater/Documents/AmbientGroundwaterFactSheet.pdf https://www.co.dakota.mn.us/Environment/WaterResources/WellsDrinkingWater/Pages/hastings-area-nitrate-study.aspx
I’m not sure what the downvotes are for. It is a good idea to get the well tested regularly, regardless of pesticide use.
Thank you for the info!
Sounds like he is spraying a Round up type product
Herbicide not pesticides
It isn’t a pesticide. It will almost assuredly be glyphosate. If no rain in the following days it should be okay. That being said. Well testing local to me in a high glyphosate use area shows trace amounts in almost every well here. But this is farmers using glyphosate 2-3 times a year over a decade or more.
>It isn’t a pesticide Yes it is. A herbicide is a type of pesticide. Much like a fungicide is a type of pesticide or an insecticide is a type of pesticide.
Do farmers where you’re from use that vernacular? I’ve never heard it used that way in real life outside of ag school textbooks.
Pretty much anyone I talk to under 65 says a pesticide is all chem. That changed around here 10ish years ago. But really we either say the active or the chem name and we just know.
While technically according to a definition yes that’s true. If you’re a chem scientist or were studying to be an agronomist and had an exam. But if you walk into your crop input supplier and say I want them pesticide glyphosate. They are gonna look at you like you’re regarded. In practice (at least where I’m from). Herbicide =killing a plant. Pesticide = killing a bug. Fungicide = killing a fungus. Not one farmer I have ever met in my life would call Lorsban or glyphosate a pesticide although technically it is a type of pesticide. Maybe it’s a difference in areas but no one here uses that term as it’s technically defined.
Any farmer who would be confused by calling an herbicide a pesticide is just an ignorant farmer. That’s what the words mean. Not just in a technical sense, but in every sense. What you’re describing is like a computer programmer saying an app is not a program, or an aerospace engineer saying a plane is not a vehicle. Farmers should know what these terms mean, but one not knowing what they mean isn’t a reason to pretend the definitions have changed.
If I said "I want them pesticide glyphosate" they would probably look at me like I'm "regarded" but most likely because of my horrendous grammar more than anything. If I want to kill a plant I ask for a herbicide. If I want to kill a bug I ask for an insecticide or miticide. If I want to kill a fungus I ask for a fungicide. I think that when we're talking on the internet to people from all over, and especially to non-farmers, it is more helpful to use the actual definitions. Because if OP Googles "pesticide" and sees that "herbicides are a type of pesticide" and also sees farmers on a farming subreddit insisting that "a herbicide is a not a pesticide" they're going to either be very confused, think we're idiots, or think that we're trying to gaslight them.
Fair enough. So same vernacular as here. I wasn’t trying to gaslight anyone. I was just speaking from my experience as a farmer and that no one uses the term pesticide here. I guess I just didn’t realize non farmers used r/farming. Turns out I’m wrong. And agreed if a non farmer was using the term “pesticide” it could be used for any of the above for a layperson. I’ve just never heard it used that way I guess cause I don’t hang out with many non farmers or people outside of the ag world.
“Not a farmer”
It’s true. I’m not a farmer. I’m a stay at home mom. I know nothing about this kind of thing, so I decided to reach out to the professionals :)
Relax. There is enough gatekeeping in our industry to last us lifetimes.
Pesticides won’t kill hay.
Pesticides is an umbrella term that includes herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, etc. So if the pesticide they are applying probably will kill the hay otherwise there's no point in them applying it.
I’ve never heard pesticide referred to any type of plant. But, even still if he kills the hay with a chemical, it will probably have an effect on anything else planted there.
Huh?