- Area Study Surveys
Surveys of selected geographic areas will help clarify the linkages between fertilizer and pesticide applications, environmental characteristics, and potential water quality concerns. Comprehensive farm information will be tied to natural resource data.
The surveys will be conducted by NASS and ERS in close cooperation with other USDA agencies and others, including the U.S. Geological Survey and Environmental Protection Agency. The first area study site is the Delmarva peninsula. Other area studies are under consideration to cover the range of major agricultural activities and natural resource conditions.
- 1989 Cotton Survey
As a pilot test, NASS and ERS conducted a survey of cotton producers in 14 Southern and Western states in the fall of 1989. Information from the survey provides a comprehensive accounting of field applications of pesticides and fertilizers on the 1989 cotton crop. The survey also provided an opportunity to test data collection procedures and begin the accumulation of chemical-use data that will cover all major field crops, vegetables, fruits, and nuts by 1993.
Detailed analysis of the survey, which accounted for production practices on 10.2 million cotton acres, is currently underway within ERS. Results will be released as studies are completed. Some highlights of the survey:
- Ninety-eight percent of the surveyed acreage received one or more applications of pesticides—herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, dessicants/defoliants, and growth regulators—in 1989.
- The proportion of cotton acres fertilized ranged from 65 percent in the Southern Plains to over 98 percent in the Delta and Southeastern states.
- Nearly 60 percent of cotton farmers use commercial scouting programs as part of their pest management programs. Scouting involves systematic visits to cotton fields to determine insect presence and population levels followed by specific control measures as needed. This practice was most intensively used in the West, with an average of 25 field visits.
- About 40 percent of the cotton acreage contained a well within the surveyed field, and three-quarters of the acreage was within one-half mile of a well. In most cases, either the well had not been tested for potential chemical contamination or respondents did not know whether testing had been done. Just over 20 percent of the acreage was within 1 mile of a river of stream, and nearly half was within 1 mile of a pond or natural lake.
Future analyses will explore the possible relationship between chemical applications on cotton and natural resource conditions related to water quality. For example, the nature of fertilizer and pesticide use in relation to the vulnerability of an area to groundwater leaching and surface runoff is of particular interest.
Harry C. Mussman
Chairman, USDA Working Group
on Water Quality
Please direct questions or comments about this Update to David Ervin, ERS, 202-786-1401, or Sam Rives, NASS, 202-447-2324.
{left block|Published by the Office of Public Affairs
Water Quality Issue Team}}
