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Ontario pesticide survey now online

December 9, 2013 - All Ontario field crop, vegetable, fruit and specialty crop farmers are asked to fill out a confidential, anonymous online survey of pesticide use for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Ministry of Rural Affairs. This year, the survey is being conducted by Farm & Food Care Ontario and is available online at www.ontariopesticidesurvey.ca. 

Surveys have been conducted every five years since 1973 and are used to track trends in pesticide use, according to a Farm & Food Care Ontario press release. "Government, commodity boards and researchers use the information to help improve minor use pesticide registration lists, work toward safer use of pesticides and to understand trends in use and the types of pesticides used," the release stated. 

The survey will track all field and horticulture crops and the pesticides used, acres applied and also acres where no pesticides are used. All farmers and custom spray applicators are encouraged to help fill out the survey of products they used during the 2013 growing season. 

With increasing interest in seed treatments used in agriculture, this topic will also be added to the 2013 pesticide use survey, including the number of acreage planted with the treated seed and the active ingredients in the seed treatments. 

The survey is anonymous. Only a respondent’s county information will be collected to help determine pesticide usage in different parts of the province. 

New this year, data collection has moved to an online program with drop down menus for ease of use and accuracy of data. The survey is available online at www.ontariopesticidesurvey.ca. Farm & Food Care will also accept mail-in, fax or email returns of the survey. Data collection will continue until February 15, 2014.

December 16, 2013  By Potatoes in Canada



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