Killer Compost, Orange County

Killer Compost Surfaces in Orange County, North Carolina

Please find information below about Aminopyralid which has turned up in our Mt Sinai Road property and is affecting two other local farmers who source toxic manure in the last four weeks. Here is detail about Forefront that is the Dow Chemical program that was used by an Orange County haymaker and was sold to a local horse breeder who delivered one year old horse manure well-composted to us. The herbicide is pernicious and persistent and is killing our broadleaf plants, and soil remediation is problematic. Here are some details to share:

Aminopyralid has caused problems in gardens in the UK last year and Dow amended their label recommendation to try to eliminate the problem.

Basically the herbicide is used in pastures because it kills thistles, clover and many other dicot weeds. It is very selective to the grass. It has a long half life - 533 days has been reported. It is also very active on leguminous, solanaceous and sunflower crops. A major problem is that the chemicals absorbed to lignins in grass cell walls. It is then released if that grass is digested by a horse or cow. So the manure may influence the growth of sensitive crops, especially if that manure is not well rotted down for a year or more.

If you have the problem there are probably a couple of things to consider.

I would not replant with a sensitive crop this year. Rotavate the soil and plant a non sensitive food or cover crop. I would recommend not returning harvested material as mulch, although the residue levels may be really low. So if you grow a cover crop, mow it off when mature and compost it separately or dispose elsewhere (landfill?).

I think if the area has been well rotovated and keeps moist, you should not have a problem next year; stuff breaks down fast in North Carolina.

Interrogate the compost supplier on his source of manure and ensure he is aware of the issue.

Lobby that EPA withdraws this use of the product and that Dow modifies its label. Cattle farmers love the product and vegetable producers hate it.