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T H Projects Crop Protection

TRAINING COURSE

"Crop Protection in Practice”

 held at Harper Adams University College, Shropshire

This is a training course offered to those whose work would benefit from having a better understanding of how crop protection products are used practically in agriculture today and the environmental and handling issues that are associated with their use.. The course was started seven years ago by Syngenta [formerly Zeneca] to provide training for staff working on the development of new crop protection products who had little knowledge of how they would be used in practice.

The course gives delegates a  farmer's view of crop protection. It is broad in scope and will give delegates the confidence to discuss the subject both inside and outside the workplace. Previous delegates have included formulation chemists, packaging specialists, manufacturing chemists, toxicologists, application specialists, field agronomists and sales staff.

This is  an entirely practical course, 'learning-by-doing'. There are no formal lecture sessions.

Subjects covered during the course

• Introduction to Agriculture – crops, their culture and requirements, soils, drainage, grassland, silage, equipment used and typical field operations. Practical experience with typical tractor-powered cultivation equipment and their interaction with pest control. Interaction of livestock and arable farming.

• Pesticide Application factors – seasonal weed, disease and insect identification. Consideration of factors relevant to pest control. Visit to a typical farm pesticide store and local pesticide distributor. Compare and contrast various pesticide choices, labels, label information, types of packaging, disposal, safety, etc. Rodent and pest control in grain stores.

• Introduction to more specialist applicators - CDA, weed wipers, mist blowers, foggers, granule applicators. Pesticide handling systems. Container disposal.

• Pesticides and their environmental impact – practical field exercises to understand this. Basic soil science – simple, practical field tests to determine soil type and its effect on pesticide choice. Spray drift – its origins and control. Legislation relevant to pesticide application.

• Agriculture/politics/food industry/pesticides –  interactions between each.

For more information contact Tony Hodgekiss

94, Oving Road, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 7EW                              

Tel: 01243 781040 or 07941 949760         

e-mail: hodgekiss@btinternet.com

 Website design advisor: Jane Slade (RACC) 

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