• Nov 30, 2017

Managing a Clean, Sustainable Operation

Farmer by grain bins
Spills can happen in any type of operation, including farms. Fuel leaks around machinery filling stations or fuel tanks, and pesticide spills in the field, around tank-mix areas or in storage buildings are not uncommon. Handling these mishaps promptly can help you keep areas clean and prevent dead zones from limiting how you use the affected areas of your farm.
 
In the past, managing spills typically required costly physical remediation. Excavation equipment was needed to dig out the affected soil and contaminants needed to be disposed of at a properly equipped site.
 
While physical remediation is still a viable fix for some large chemical and fuel spills, new technology offers a more economical and environmentally friendly option for managing spills in agriculture settings. Parvus™ biological remediator employs living microorganisms to remove chemicals and fuel in the soil and on hard surfaces.
 
Eliminating spills naturally
Instead of having to physically remove contaminated soil, this innovative biological remediator can be applied to the affected site in a spray or granule form that must be activated with water. After coming into contact with the spilled fuel or pesticide, the microbes do what comes naturally – they consume the material, removing it from the soil or surface area.
 
The microbes continue to feast over time until the fuel or chemical is gone, leaving the affected soil or surface clean. Field tests with common herbicide active ingredients such as glyphosate, atrazine and fomesafen showed that Parvus™ biological remediator reduced the amount of chemicals in the soil by 70 percent or more within 21 days. After their fuel or chemical food source is gone, the number of microbes decreases and the bacteria become part of the soil’s indigenous background microbial population.
 
Be prepared
Since we never know when a spill will occur, it’s a good idea to keep Parvus™ biological remediator on hand for fast treatment, before the fuel or chemical has time to penetrate deeper into the soil. While this biological remediator should be applied as soon as possible after a spill occurs, it also works effectively when applied days, weeks, months or years later.
 
For more tips on proactively managing spills to protect your land, contact your local WinField United retailer.