Connie’s Comments by Connie Strunk, Turner County Extension Educator—Agronomy 

August 14, 2009   

                                               

By the time you read this the Turner County Fair will be well underway if not already starting to wrap up.  I have received a lot of questions about whether or not there will be holding a pesticide container collection this year.  The answer is yes, we will again be holding pesticide container collections throughout the late summer and early fall.  The pesticide container collection program is funded by pesticide registration fees, and conducted jointly by the SD Department of Agriculture and the SD Cooperative Extension Service.  All plastic pesticide containers and most steel containers are eligible for the program, where they will be recycled into usable products.

It does not matter what pesticide containers you have because herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, etc. are all considered pesticides.  When you bring your containers for recycling you must make sure that they are clean or you will be taking them home with you!  All containers must be triple rinsed or pressure rinsed.  This is easy to do while you are working with the product as it only takes a few extra seconds to triple rinse each container.  Then you don’t have to worry about the wastewater or dried on chemical residue.  Producers should remove the lids, plastic sleeve labels, and any auxiliary paper label booklets at the time they rinse the containers.   A single layer of a glued-on paper label can remain on the containers.

For those of you who are interested in taking advantage of this free program, here is the schedule for pesticide container collection in southeast South Dakota:

 

Date                            Time                            Location                                              City

August 20                   9:00 to 2:00                 Brookings Regional Landfill              Brookings       

August 26                   9:00 to 2:00                 Davison Co. Extension                       Mitchell

September 8                9:00 to 2:00                 Turnis Farm Service                            Platte

September 9                1:00 to 4:00                 Country Pride Coop Fert. Plant          Wagner

September 10              9:00 to 12:00               Bon Homme Co. HiWay Dept.          Tyndall

 

September 10              1:00 to 4:00                 Hutchinson Co. Courthouse               Olivet

 

September 11              9:00 to 2:00                 Tripp Co. Recycling Center                Winner

 

September 14              9:00 to 12:00               Lake Preston Soil Service                   Lake Preston

 

September 14              1:30 to 4:00                 Cenex Agronomy Center                    Howard

 

September 15              9:00 to 12:00               Lake Co. 4H Grounds                                    Madison

 

September 15              1:30 to 4:00                 Moody Co. Highway Dept.                Flanderau

 

September 16              9:00 to 2:00                 Renner Fire Hall                                  Renner

 

September 17              9:00 to 12:00               Central Farmers Coop                         Salem

 

 

All times are local.  The following locations below will accept containers anytime during regular business hours:

Vermillion – Contact:  Phyllis Packard at Missouri Valley Recycling Center (605) 677-7076  

Pierre – Contact:  South Dakota Department of Agriculture at (605) 773-4432 or 1-800-228-5254

Huron – Contact:  Russ Layton at Bauman Agency at (605) 353-1112

 

            For more information feel free to contact me at the Turner County Extension Office at

(605) 297-3112.

           

            For your information:  The South Dakota Grasslands Coalition will host an in-depth instructional program on grazing methods on September 14-16, 2009 in Oacoma.  The event begins at 8 a.m. on September 14 at Al’s Oasis, 1000 E. South Dakota Highway 16, Oacoma. The school costs $150 per person, but additional participants from the same operation can take part for $75 each.  The cost includes materials and meals, but participants are responsible for their own lodging.  The deadline to register is September 7, 2009.  To register, send payment and contact information to the South Dakota Grasslands Coalition in care of Kyle Schell, South Dakota Range Management Coordinator, Box 2170, ACS 105, SDSU, Brookings, SD 57007.  Producers are asked to bring maps of their operation or a legal description so that organizers can print a map out for them.  A wide range of instructors and presenters will share information on effective grazing methods, rangeland management, and other topics acutely connected to grazing.