For Oregon homeowners, invasive blackberries and poison oak are the bane of their existence. Many resort to powerful herbicides to get rid of them. But those chemicals are harming nearby vineyards, particularly an herbicide called Crossbow.
Crossbow is one of the most powerful herbicides available to Oregon homeowners, but it may be a little too powerful. Earlier this year, a Southern Oregon homeowner used Crossbow and subsequently killed half the grapes in his neighbor’s vineyard.
State pesticide investigator Michael Odenthal says that homeowner used a concentrated version of Crossbow without diluting it.
“This is probably one of the most severe homeowners mistakes we’ve ever run across,” Odenthal said. “This particular person did not read the label at all.”
The incident was so severe that the Oregon Department of Agriculture organized a work group to discuss ways to educate people on using Crossbow properly. They’ll meet about once a month regularly until they come up with solutions to educating the public. That could include requiring businesses to display information that explains how to use it properly.
Oregon Department of Agriculture investigator Ann Ketter says small farmers who purchase Crossbow aren’t usually the problem, since they’re well-trained on using pesticides. It’s people who use it on residential properties that seem to cause the most problems.
“We've had issues of homeowners using Crossbow because either they don’t understand the language on the label or they haven't read the label,” she said.
California and Washington homeowners need a license in order to use Crossbow, but in Oregon, anyone can buy it from their local farming supply shop without a license.
Ketter is part of that work group focusing on Crossbow. She says it doesn’t plan on requiring a license for its use because that would unfairly inconvenience small farmers who use it properly.
