Page 49 - Grapevine July-Aug 2020
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Around The Vineyard
Liability Coverage for
Chemical Drift
P rotecting your vineyard from damaging to litigation. In certain instances, liability insurance
specifically designed for chemical spray drift may
pests and grapevine diseases with pesti-
cides may be an essential part of your vine-
yard management. Keeping these chemicals on allow you to mitigate this risk.
your property can be challenging even if you have You have seen examples of herbicide and pesti-
followed all the required procedures. Nationwide, cide drift from agricultural application in the news
the EPA estimates up to 70 million pounds of pes- recently. Stories abound of alleged damage to
ticides valued up to $640 million are lost to drift neighboring crops, communities, and even bird
each year . Drift is the movement of chemicals habitats. If you are growing the same crop as your
off your vineyard, through the air away from the neighbor is on their vineyard, you may have limited
intended target, and can be in the form of liquid or no impact. However, in certain instances there
droplets, vapors, and particles. You have reason can be a more substantial impact when your neigh-
to want to limit drift simply because of the eco- bors are raising other crops or livestock, operating
nomic consequences, and these chemicals are too an organic farm, or you are adjacent to other sus-
expensive to just blow in the wind. Furthermore, ceptible properties like a golf course, an apiary, or a
drift that damages a neighbor’s property may lead residential community. Damage has occurred miles
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