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Agricultural businesses and individuals must “project a positive image by promoting environmental stewardship of the crop protection industry” to receive the Mid America CropLife Association (MACA) Water Guardian award. This year, MACA recognized companies and individuals in six Midwestern states (see sidebar) that have met this requirement and other criteria, including managing technologically advanced facilities that are environmentally sound.
Clean approach
Keeping a clean facility is important not only to protect the environment, but also to project a professional image, says Paul Leinen, president of Leinen Inc. in Portsmouth, IA, one of this year's Water Guardian award recipients. Leinen Inc. is a full-service dealership, selling crop protection products, fertilizer and seed and providing grid sampling, mapping and custom application services (including variable-rate application of dry fertilizer, lime and gypsum).
Growing up, Leinen mowed the lawn and took care of other landscaping details at the family-owned ag dealership (established in 1954). He took pride in keeping the operation nice and clean. That hasn't changed. Today, as the company's president, he believes the clean facility shows customers that Leinen Inc. also takes a clean approach to business and that they can expect similar care with respect to their own fields.
Crop protection product that is applied in customers' fields is mixed by Leinen's custom applicators on site. Most of this product goes out in mini-bulk containers that the applicator returns to the Leinen facility. There, the containers are properly rinsed and used again and again. This cuts down on the use of traditional gallon jugs and disposal issues.
When product does go out in jug form, Leinen's trucks carry fresh water and rinse the jugs on site; the rinsate gets sucked right onto the floater, Leinen says. The customer will not see any jugs left behind. The operator loads those containers back on the truck, and they are driven to the Leinen chemical facility, stored and then disposed of properly.
Conservation minded
The Agribusiness Association of Iowa has called Leinen's bulk chemical facility “one of the most conservation-minded chemical facilities in western Iowa.” Built in 2000 to meet all state and federal regulatory requirements, the facility virtually eliminates any possibility of product accidentally leaving the facility. MACA reports that the loading area alone can handle two semi loads of chemicals if they are spilled in the facility.
Leinen explains that loading and unloading of chemicals is all done under roof in contained areas. When trucks are driven into the building, they are parked on 110 ft. of concrete that is sloped toward the center. “If a tank should rupture, all of the chemical would be contained inside the building,” he says. That spillage would be collected in the containment area and then pumped into tanks for later use.
The chemical facility is constructed entirely of steel. Insulation is sandwiched between two walls of steel, helping to safeguard the facility against fire. The building is also locked to safeguard against theft and tampering.
Two years after the dealership built the chemical facility, it also built a new liquid fertilizer plant that features a 6-in. curb around the loading facility. Again, the building was designed to meet all regulatory standards.
Building such structures is not cheap. Leinen says that the liquid fertilizer plant's environmentally friendly features comprised more than 20% of the cost of the total facility, which includes a warehouse. Moreover, there are the ongoing costs of cleaning and inspection. But he adds that the cost is worth it. “I can sleep at night knowing we've done the best we can to protect the environment,” he says. Leinen's facilities are located in Portsmouth, a town with just more than 200 residents.
Local recognition
One of the nicest things about receiving the Water Guardian recognition is that local newspaper coverage has helped communicate to the community what the Iowa dealership has done to protect the environment, Leinen says. “We're taking better measures against pollution than the average homeowner using household chemicals,” he says. Neighbors and the community also can look at the dealership's structures and equipment and see that it maintains a clean operation.
In addition, Leinen Inc. hosts a tour every year for the local fire department so that, in the event of a fire, firefighters will know what needs to be done to protect the community. Every year at the company's annual customer appreciation night, Leinen also updates farmers on what is happening at the company. When the dealership built both the chemical and the liquid fertilizer facilities, for example, Leinen described for the audience the environmental features. He also takes this opportunity to talk to customers about the dealership's ongoing safety programs.
Leinen Inc. has hired Regulatory Consultants Inc. (RCI), a firm specializing in safety compliance programs, to conduct an annual safety training program for employees. RCI also handles Leinen's Tier II chemical inventory reports for the EPA. “RCI keeps us informed and educated about changing regulations,” Leinen says.
Each spring and fall, the dealership conducts its own training sessions as well. Training includes subjects such as the community's right to know and forklift operation. “We stress safety and extensive logging in of all maintenance work we do,” Leinen says, adding that the more management can make employees aware of potential problems, the more attention the employees will pay to those details.
The dealership also provides personal protective equipment for its employees and sells various protective equipment to farmers, including masks, gloves, protective clothing and eyewash.
Probably the biggest challenge to becoming a better environmental steward is to keep up with changing laws, Leinen says. He does not expect this to change. “Legislation will keep coming at us,” he says, adding that as new environmental laws are passed, the agricultural industry must learn how to deal with them. Today's society is less willing to accept mistakes and is more willing to take legal action, he says. Fortunately, agriculture can and does have a voice in the development of reasonable laws. That is why Leinen is a member of the Agribusiness Association of Iowa, which represents the industry in the state capital. Leinen also writes to legislators about bills that affect not only his business, but his community and state.
Leinen's advice to peers about improving water quality is, “Do everything you can to contain water, dispose of it in the proper manner and keep equipment as clean as possible. If you have a good game plan, you'll know what to do if something does go wrong.”
Well-constructed facility
Further east, MACA recognized the Helena Chemical Company of Conklin, MI, as the Michigan Water Guardian. Like Leinen Inc., the Helena facility is well constructed to contain chemicals. Its chemical building, built just last year, has a dike system and properly placed pumps and holding tanks. All loading and unloading is done on a covered concrete pad. If product should spill, the dike holds it in and product can be collected and reused. This is important from both environmental and economic standpoints, suggests Jim Nauta, the company's manager. “Our four 40,000-gal. tanks hold some 250 tons of product each. At $200/ton, you have $50,000 of product in one tank. This system protects us,” he says.
Both Helena's chemical facility and a catch basin (which was built in 2003) were constructed following Michigan Department of Agriculture guidelines, primarily for groundwater protection. The department also regularly monitors the well on the property for traces of pesticides or fertilizers. Nauta notes that runoff from the catch basin can be tested and then used on labeled crops.
Helena of Conklin serves growers within a 25-mile radius in west-central Michigan with seed, fertilizer and crop protection products as well as GPS soil sampling, soil conditioning and custom application services. The main crops in the area include apples, cherries, peaches, sweet corn, corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa.
The facility uses Veris technology for soil conductivity testing, which provides information for variable-rate application of fertilizer and lime. “This is important because we have a lot of soil types in the area and a lot of variability in organic matter,” Nauta says. “We can sample by zones and then custom apply fertilizer within those zones. Some areas need less fertilizer while some need more. This technology helps us give a field what it needs.”
The Michigan dealership's liquid fertilizer is handled in secondary containment (constructed of 45-millimeter reinforced polypropylene) at all times. Nauta adds that the polypropylene has a warranty of 20 years.
In addition to its facilities, Helena of Conklin promotes environmental stewardship by recommending labeled rates of pesticides and genetically modified seeds that reduce the overall amount of pesticides used on the ground.
Like Leinen, Nauta acknowledges that building environmentally sound structures is not cheap. But parent company Helena Chemical is safety conscious, and both headquarters and the Conklin facility recognize the importance of protecting the environment, particularly groundwater. Helena of Conklin also can draw on the expertise of a Helena headquarters regulatory specialist. Like Leinen, the Michigan dealership also conducts an annual inspection with its local fire department.
Sounding like the Water Guardian that he is, Nauta says, “We're dedicated to this industry and to helping growers be environmentally sound so they can protect their property and their investments.”
By doing what they are doing, these Water Guardians, and the four others recognized by MACA, also are guaranteeing protection of their properties, their investments and their environment.
Lynn Grooms is an agricultural writer living in Mt. Horeb, WI.
MACA's Water Guardians
Iowa Water Guardian
Leinen Inc. Portsmouth, IA Award presented to Paul Leinen
Water-loading facilities are equipped with back-check valves and anti-siphon overhead locations. The company regularly conducts employee training on the safe handling of pesticides, with assistance from a professional regulatory firm. Leinen Inc. has a policy of rinsing containers in the field.
Kansas Water Guardian
Harveyville Seed Company Inc. Harveyville, KS Award presented to Chuck and Dustin Kuntz
The company promotes safe use of fertilizers and pesticides and is active in local conservation districts, watershed boards and other community organizations. It has helped in the development of rules and regulations relating to safe handling of fertilizer and pesticides.
Michigan Water Guardian
Helena Chemical Company Conklin, MI Award presented to Jim Nauta
The Helena facility built a catch basin to contain runoff from the property and a dike system for its pesticide-handling area. Liquid fertilizer is stored in secondary containment at all times, and dry fertilizer is handled under roof once it has been stored.
Missouri Water Guardian
Orrick Farm Service Orrick, MO Award presented to Gary Vandiver
The fertilizer and crop protection facility is surrounded by a grass buffer, and all product is stored and loaded in an enclosed building meeting federal, state and local regulations. Orrick Farm Service encourages customers to participate in MO-AG's pesticide recycling program and provides variable-rate application and yield monitor management information.
Nebraska Water Guardian
Award presented to Richard Ferguson Professor of Agronomy & Horticulture Department of Agronomy and Horticulture University of Nebraska — Lincoln Lincoln, NE
Ferguson has researched water-quality issues for many years and has been involved with the Nebraska Agri-Business Association's Agronomy and Education Committee. Ferguson is currently researching thematic soil mapping and crop-based strategies for site-specific management.
South Dakota Water Guardian
Chester Farm Service Corporation Chester, SD Award presented to Tom Reiff and Mike Roberts
The facility built a new dry fertilizer facility that is completely enclosed and diked for blending and loading. Chester Farm Service encourages customers to use strip tillage and Environmentally Smart Nitrogen (ESN). Its strip-tillage program has increased to more than 3,000 acres a year and continues to grow.
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