PESTICIDE SUMMARIES

Total cumulative acres treated with each pesticide in North Dakota in 1996 are given in Tables 22A through 25A. Results from the survey of pesticide use in 1992, 1989, 1984, and 1978 are given in Tables 22B through 25B, 22C through 25C, and 22D through 25D, 22A and 25E respectively. Acres reported treated in Tables 22 through 25 may exceed the acres treated in Table 1 because Tables 22 through 25 include multiple applications to the same acreage totaled as separate values and pesticides applied as a tank mixture were totaled separately unless a commercial mixture was used. Acres treated in Table 1 received one or more applications of pesticide. Percent acres treated are presented to aid in comparing among years and crops.  See List of Tables.

Eighty-five formulations of herbicides were applied to 33.7 million acres in 1996, equivalent to 85% of the agricultural acreage (Table 22A). In 1992, 70 formula- tions of herbicides were applied to 28.8 million acres, or 73% of the agricultural acreage (Table 22B), in 1989, 69 formulations of herbicides were applied to 27.7 million acres or 70% of the agricultural acreage (Table 22C), in 1984, 57 herbicide formulations to 24.8 million acres or 61% of the agricultural acreage (Table 22D), and in 1978, 40 herbicide formulations to 16.9 million acres or 52% of the agricultural acreage (Table 22E).

2,4-D was applied to 9.3 million acres or 23.5% of the agricultural acreage in 1996 (Table 22A), compared to 8.2 million acres or 20.8% of the acreage in 1992 (Table 22B), to 8.1 million acres or 20.6% of the acreage in 1989 (Table 22C), 8.6 million acres or 20.9% of the acreage in 1984 (Table 22D), and 9.3 million acres or 28.9% of the acreage in 1978 (Table 22E). Dicamba was applied to 4.7 million acres or 11.7% of the agricultural acreage in 1996, compared to 4.0 million acres or 10.4% of the agricultural acreage in 1992, 3.2 million acres or 8.1% of the acreage in 1989, 1.5 million acres or 3.6% of the acreage in 1984, and 0.28 million acres or 0.8% of the acreage in 1978. MCPA was applied to 6.8 million acres or 17.1% of the agricultural acreage in 1992, compared to 3.0 million acres or 7.8% of the agricultural acreage in 1992, 4.4 million acres or 11.3% of the acreage in 1989, 2.8 million acres or 6.8% of the acreage in 1984, and 2.4 million acres or 5.9% of the acreage in 1978.

Trifluralin was applied to 2.9 million acres or 7.3% of the agricultural acreage in 1992, compared to 4.1 million acres or 10.4% of the acreage in 1989, 4.5 million acres or 11.1% of the acreage in 1984, and 2.0 million acres or 6.3% of the acreage in 1978. All ALS herbicides (imidazolinone, sulfonylurea, and triazolopyrimidine herbicide families) were applied to 16.2% of the acreage in 1996, compared to 9.8% in 1992, and 7.7% in 1989. In 1996, of the sulfonylurea herbicides, tribenuron was applied on 7.3% of the acreage, more than any other sulfonylurea herbicide. ACCase herbicides (clethodim, diclofop, fenoxaprop, fluazifop, quizalofop, sethoxydim, tralkoxydim) were applied to 10.6% of the acreage in 1996, compared to 4.5% in 1992.

Other products that increased in use in 1996 compared to 1992 include acetochlor, atrazine, bentazon, bromoxynil, clopyralid, desmedipham, desmedipham + phenmedipham, all glyphosate products, imazamethabenz, imazethapyr, nicosulfuron, picloram, and quizalofop. The acreage treated with cyanazine, diclofop, metolachlor, sethoxydim, and trifluralin products was less in 1996 compared to 1992.

As in 1978, 1984, 1989, and 1992, nearly all the herbicides applied in 1996 were applied once, by the farm operator with ground equipment (Tables 22A-22E).

Insecticides were used on 1.5 million acres in 1996, compared to 1.2, 2.2, 2.9 and 0.4 million acres in 1992, 1989, 1984, and 1978, respectively (Tables 23A-23E). Twenty-five insecticides were used in 1996 compared to 23 in 1992, 24 in 1989, 27 in 1984, and 21 in 1978.

Eight insecticides were applied to fewer acres in 1996 than in 1992. Two insecticides were applied to more acres in 1996 than in 1992. Carbofuran, ethyl parathion, methyl parathion, and esfenvalerate, were applied to 0.21, 0.03, 0.01, and 0.32 million acres, respectively in 1996, compared to 0.25, 0.13, 0.10, and 0.16 million acres, respectively in 1992, and 0.53, 0.35, 0.21, and 0.26 million acres, respectively, in 1989.

Terbufos was applied to 0.08 million acres in 1996, but to 0.3 million acres both in 1992 and in 1989. Terbufos usage was similar in 1992 and 1989 because usage increased in sugarbeet and decreased proportionally in corn from 1989 to 1992.

Fungicides were applied to 1.53 million acres in 1996, compared to 0.93 million in 1992 and 0.58 million acres in 1989 (Tables 24A-24C). The 1.53 million acres amounted to 3.8% of all crop, hay, pasture and range acreage in 1996. The increased use of fungicides in 1996 compared to 1992 and 1989 primarily reflects the large increase in disease pressure for potato, dry bean, sugarbeet and wheat. Chlorothalonil was commonly used on potato, resulting in it being used on more acres than any other fungicide (Table 24A). Triphenyltin hydroxide was second in acreage treated and was used primarily on sugarbeet, propiconazole third in acreage and used primarily on dry bean, wheat, and barley, mancozeb fourth in acreage and used on wheat, potato, sugarbeet, and dry bean, and benlate fifth in acreage and used on dry bean and wheat. Ground application in 1996 accounted for 63.6% of the fungicide treated acres, compared to 43.9% in 1992.

Summary of Other On Farm Procedures and Methods

Pesticide use is a topic of public interest. There is concern about the real and perceived potential risks from pesticides. Several organizations advocate reduced pesticide use by adopting more integrated pest management practices and sustainable agricultural methods. Farm operators are using alternative procedures and methods to control pests. The alternative procedures and methods were included in the 1992 and 1996 pesticide use survey to determine the extent that alternative pest control procedures and methods are being used in North Dakota.

Farm operators were asked to indicate their usage of various alternative procedures and methods and if used for pest control. Some procedures or methods could serve functions other than pest control. For example: Summer fallow could be used for moisture conservation.

Between 3395 and 3471 farm operators reported usage of alternative procedures and methods for crop production. Percentage of respondents using alternative practices were: crop rotation 76%, summer fallow 42%, moldboard plow 35%, row crop cultivation 41%, harrow/ rotary hoe 38%, no-till 14%, variety selection 57%, hand weeding 17%, stubble burning 16%, beneficial insects 10%, ag consultant 17%, reduced tillage 56%, adjusted planting 35%, other procedures and methods 17%, (Table 26).

Crop rotation was the most widely used alternative practice reported by farm operators. Seventy-six percent of the farm operators reported using crop rotation (Table 26). Seventy-eight percent of the farm operators used crop rotation for pest control. Crop rotation was used most widely in the east central, northeast and southeast districts, with 91, 83, and 85% usage, respectively. Crop rotation was used least in the Southcentral district at 60%.

Summer fallow was used by 42% of the farm operators in North Dakota (Table 26). Sixty-two percent used summer fallow for pest control. The greatest usage of summer fallow was in the northwest district, at 65%. The lowest usage of summer fallow was 22% in the east central district.

Moldboard plow was used by 35% of the farm operators in North Dakota (Table 26). Sixty-nine percent of these operators reported using the moldboard plow for pest control. The greatest usage of the moldboard plow was 48% in the southeast and 45% in the northeast districts. The lowest usage was 16% in the southwest and 24% in the north central districts.

Row crop cultivation was used by 41% of the farm operators, statewide (Table 26). Seventy-six percent of row crop cultivation was for pest control. Row crop cultivation was used most in the east central, southeast, and northeast districts where usage was by 74, 61, and 56% of the farm operators, respectively. Only 15% of the farm operators in the southwest district and 19% in the northwest district reported using row crop cultivation.

Harrow or rotary hoe was used by 38% of the North Dakota farm operators (Table 26). Sixty-two percent of harrow and/or a rotary hoe usage was for pest control. The greatest number of farm operators that reported using a harrow and/or rotary hoe was in the northeast district, at 56%. In the southwest and south central districts, harrow and/or rotary hoe usage was only 20 and 30%, respectively.

No-till was used by 14% of the farm operators in North Dakota (Table 26) and 42% of the no-till usage was for pest control. The percentage of farmers that reported using no-till ranged from 8% in the northeast district to 23% in the southwest district.

Variety selection was used by 57% of the North Dakota farm operators (Table 26). Sixty-eight percent of the farm operators used resistant varieties for pest control. The percentage of farm operators that reported using resistant varieties ranged from 40% in the south central district to 77% in the east central district.

Hand weeding was used by 17% of the farm operators, statewide (Table 26). Sixty-eight percent of the hand weeding was used for pest control. The percentage of farm operators in the east central, northeast, southeast, and west central districts that reported using hand weeding was 31, 27, 21 and 12%, respectively. Sugarbeet production is based in these districts and hand hoeing is a common procedure in sugarbeet production. The percentage of farm operators that reported using hand weeding in the remaining districts ranged from 9 to 12%.

Stubble burning was used by 16% of the farm operators, statewide (Table 26). Fifty-four percent of the stubble burning was used for pest control. Twenty-four percent of the farm operators in the northeast district, 23, 22, 20% percent in the north central, northwest, and east central districts used stubble burning, and 8 to 12% in the remaining districts used stubble burning.

Release of beneficial insects was used by 10% of the North Dakota farm operators in their farm operations (Table 26). Many of these farm operators indicated in the comment section of the survey that they were using flea beetles to control leafy spurge. The percentage of farm operators using insects and/or diseases ranged from 5% in the Northeast district to 17% in the Southwest district.

Ag consultants were employed by 17% of the farm operators in their farming operation (Table 26). Sixty-one percent of the field monitoring was for pest control. The percentage of farm operators using field monitoring ranged from 8% in the south central district to 22% in the northeast district.

Reduced tillage was used by 56% of the farm operators in their farming operation (Table 26). Forty-five percent used reduced tillage for pest control. The percentage of farm operators using reduced tillage for pest control ranged from 48% in the south central district to 62% in the southwest district.

Adjusted planting date was used by 35% of the farm operators in their farming operation (Table 26). Fifty-five percent used adjusted planting for pest control. The percentage of farm operators using adjusted planting for pest control ranged from 24% in the south central district to 44% in the northeast district.

Other procedures or methods were used by 17% of the farm operators, statewide (Table 26). Sixty-one percent of the farm operators used non-chemical procedures and methods for pest control. The percentage of farm operators using other procedures or methods ranged from 8% in the south central district to 29% in the east central district. More farm operators used tillage equipment for minimum tilling, chisel plowing, undercutting, disking, ridge tilling, and strip tilling than for any other type of procedure or method. Other procedures or methods used were using certified seed or clean seed, cleaning equipment between fields, using cover crops, adjusting planting dates, continuous cropping, strip cropping, and straw spreading.

Summary for Use of Decision Aids in Pest Management

Farm operators were asked to indicate their use of decision aids in the pest management process (Table 27).

Approximately 3,500 farm operators reported usage of decision aids for pest management (Table 27). Percentage of farm operators using decision aids in the pest management process were: field monitoring 75%, economic thresholds 60%, growth staging 66%, weather forecasting 63%, prediction models 28%, and IPM 25% (Table 27).

Summary of Use of Organic Farming in North Dakota

Approximately, 3,500 farm operators reported on use of organic farming on their acreage (Table 28). Farm operators that reported using organic farming were highest in south central and west central districts at 16 and 12%, respectively with 35,797 and 25,425 acres reported. Organic farming was practiced on 3 to 9% of the acres in the remaining districts. Use of organic farming was used on a total of 134,833 acres in North Dakota. (Table 28).

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