INTRODUCTION

This is the fifth major account of pesticide usage in North Dakota and describes pesticide usage on agricultural land in 1996. The information is derived from a comprehensive survey of North Dakota farm operators. The first four comprehensive surveys to assess pesticide usage on major crops in North Dakota were conducted on 1978¹, 1984², 1989³, and 1992⁴ pesticide applications.

Total acres treated with herbicides, insecticides and fungicides were 16,081,700 in 1978, 20,600,300 in 1984, 19,527,400 in 1989, 19,034,200 in 1992, and 20,668,100 in 1996. Changes in pesticide treated acres may be due to an increase in pest infestations and pest outbreaks that occurred in 1996, changes in pest populations and tillage practices, substitution of non-chemical for chemical methods, shifts in acreage of major crops, or new developments in pest control technology.

NOTE: This report gives the information on the pesticide usage as reported by the farmers surveyed. The data do not imply endorsement of any particular product or practice. Also, some survey respondents may have accidentally mis-reported use of pesticides, or products may have been applied before planting or after harvest.

¹Nalewaja, J.D., A.G. Dexter, J. Buchli, W. Hamlin, and G. Kimmet. 1980. Pesticide Usage in Major North Dakota Crops.    North Dakota State University in cooperation with North Dakota Crop and Livestock Reporting Service, Agronomy Report 1. 33p.

²McMullen, M.P., A.G. Dexter, J.D. Nalewaja, W. Hamlin, and K. Davison. 1985. Pesticide Use on Major Crops in North Dakota, 1984. North Dakota State University in cooperation with North Dakota Crop and Livestock Reporting Service, Agronomy Report 3. 31p.

³McMullen, M.P., A.G. Dexter, J.D. Nalewaja, and G. Dahl. 1989. Pesticide Use on Major Crops in North Dakota, 1989. North Dakota State University in cooperation with North Dakota Crop and Livestock Reporting Service, Extension Report 1. 50p.

⁴Zollinger, R.K., M.P. McMullen, G. Dahl, A.G. Dexter, J.D. Nalewaja, W.G. Hamlin, and D.G. Becker. 1992. Pesticide Use and Pest Management Practices for Major Crops in North Dakota, 1992. North Dakota State University in cooperation with North Dakota Agricultural Statistics Service, Extension Report 15. 67p.

The survey of 1996 pesticide usage in North Dakota was conducted because regular assessment of pesticide usage is an important indicator of changes in farming practices and farmer attitudes toward pesticides as well as an indicator of the relative severity of various pests in the state. Some questions used in the 1992 survey regarding use of non-chemical methods for pest control were used in the 1996 survey. However, new questions about decision aids, in the pest management process, were also included.

The specific objectives of the survey were:

1) identify acreage of crops treated with each pesticide group, and identify specific pesticides used;

2) determine pesticide usage by state districts;

3) determine the percentage of pesticides applied by farm operator or custom applicator by air or ground equipment; and

4) determine extent of use of several non-chemical pest control methods.

METHODOLOGY

The North Dakota Agricultural Statistics Service participated in the design of the survey and was in charge of printing and mailing the survey, telephone follow-up of non-respondents, and summarization and analysis of the survey results. North Dakota State University participated in the design of the survey and prepared the documentation of the survey results.

The Questionnaire

The questionnaire was designed to collect pesticide data for wheat, barley, oat, flax, corn, sunflower, soybean, dry bean, canola, potato, sugarbeet, alfalfa hay, other hay, pasture, summer-fallow, CRP and pasture in North Dakota for the 1996 crop year. The questionnaire was very similar to the one used for the 1992 survey, except for the additional questions regarding methods used for the decision making process and organic acres grown.

Information on individual crop total acres seeded, acres seeded with any treated seed and acres seeded with farm-treated seed was obtained. Acres treated by crop, for the general pesticide categories of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and desiccants were also collected.

In addition, information was requested for on-farm treated seed, which included specific chemicals used, acres seeded with farm-treated seed and method used for seed treatment. The methods used for the on farm-treated seed treatment was queried only for wheat, barley, oat, flax, soybean and potato.

For other pesticide usage, the chemicals used, acres treated, number of applications, type of applicator and method of application were asked separately for each major crop or land use included in Section 1 of the questionnaire. The type of applicator meant the chemical was self-applied by the farm operator or custom applied. The method of application refers to aerial or ground applications.

For non-chemical methods of pest control, respondents were asked to indicate their usage of thir- teen common farming practices. Respondents were asked if a procedure was used, and if the practice was used for pest control. Respondents were also asked to indicate which of six procedures aided in their decision making process about pest management. Also, respon- dents were asked if they considered their operation or part of their operation to be an organic farm. If so, they indicated the acres in organic production.

The Sample

A sample of 10,000 farm operators was selected at random from the North Dakota Agricultural Statistics Service (NDASS) list of farm operators. Extra samples were selected for potato, dry bean and sugarbeet growers, to improve coverage for these three important, but limited acreage crops.

Data Collection and Editing

Questionnaires were mailed in mid December 1996. A random sample of non-respondents to the mailing were surveyed by telephone during a thirty-day period, from about mid-January to mid-February 1997. As a result of these efforts, almost 4,000 usable reports were obtained.

Of the producers surveyed in 1996, 77% grew wheat, 41% barley, 22% oat, 3% flax, 16% corn, 16% sunflower, 11% soybean, 10% dry bean, 5% canola, 6% sugarbeet and 1% potato. Thirty-five percent reported having alfalfa hay, 30% other hay, 27% CRP, 35% reported having summer fallow, and 50% pastureland. Also, 50% of the farmers reported using at least some treated seed, and 28% used on-farm treated seed. Seventy-eight percent used herbicides, 15% used insecticides, 7% used fungicides and 1% used desiccants.

The data review process looked at completeness and reasonableness of data within each section of the questionnaire and across sections. For example, the acreage treated with herbicides reported in the first section of the questionnaire was compared to the total herbicide treated acreage reported in Section III for each crop. Telephone follow-up was used to clear up questions about reports.

The Summary

All State level percentages shown in the summary tables are weighted averages of the districts. Data were summarized by obtaining a percent of total acres treated for the general pesticide category, as well as for specific chemicals, by crop, by crop reporting districts. These percentage of total acres treated were multiplied by the NDASS estimate of total acres planted to each crop in the district. State acres were obtained by the addition of these data with State percentages derived to obtain the weighted figures.

All results from the questionnaire were included in the summary tables except for farm-treatment of seed for crops not specified in Section II The percentage of a crop treated with a pesticide was given a zero when less than 0.1%. However, acreage treated values were given. Also, these values which indicate only one or two thousand acres, may represent only one response, as reported values were interpolated to represent the total state acreage.

This site was last updated on November 14, 2002