FORUM 



Greenhouse Energy 

 Audits 



VJarren W. Leary 



The New Hampshire Governor's Of- 

 fice of Energy and Community Ser- 

 vices, with the help of UNH Coop- 

 erative Extension, has begun to de- 

 velop an Agricultural Energy Pro- 

 gram to help various agricultural in- 

 terests in the state. As everyone 

 knows, energy is a costly segment 

 for any business — but this doesn't 

 always need to be the case. 

 Through proper maintenance of 

 equipment, use of new technolo- 

 gies, and good old Yankee ingenu- 

 ity, we can help hold energy costs 

 down. This not only means more 

 profit for farmers and growers, but 

 a healthier environment for every- 

 one. 



One of the intentions of this 

 program will be to help green- 

 house growers manage energy us- 

 age more efficiently through green- 

 house energy audits. On-site au- 

 dits will examine energy type and 

 usage, equipment, building design 

 and integrity, and such variables as 

 temperature and humidity. This 

 data will then be analyzed by a 

 computer program that suggests 

 and evaluates energy-saving mea- 

 sures that are cost-effective for the 

 grower. This same program was 

 successful in Georgia, where grow- 

 ers showed savings of as much as 

 25% after having implemented the 

 recommended conservation mea- 

 sures. 



The program here is still in its 

 development stages, but we hope 

 to be performing the first audits by 

 the end of luly. Right now we are 

 interested in receiving input from 

 growers concerning aspects of the 

 growing process that should be 

 looked into or added to our pro- 

 gram. We would also like to hear 

 from any greenhouse suppliers. In- 

 put from all aspects of the industry 

 would be of great help to us as we 

 develop a program that would 

 genuinely assist New Hampshire 

 growers in becoming more energy- 

 efficient and profitable. 



WORKER PROTECTION STANDARD UPDATE 

 May 3, 1994 



Murray L. McKay 



^Implementation of the general provisions of the worker protec- 

 tion standard, originally scheduled for April 15, 1994, has been 

 put off until lanuary I, 1995. Not all aspects of the standard, how- 

 ever, have been delayed, and pesticide applicators will still have re- 

 sponsibilities under the Standard during 1994. The breakdown is as 

 follows: 



"During 1994, applicators must comply with any worker-protection 

 requirements that are spelled out on the pesticide label. These In- 

 clude label requirements for personal protective equipment, re- 

 stricted entry Interval restrictions, and certain posting and other no- 

 tifications for notifying workers of pesticide use. Certain restrictions 

 for ^early entry' workers, agricultural emergencies, and protective 

 equipment options for irrigation work are also In effect this year. 



"Most of the provisions, however, that are referenced' on the la- 

 bel through the worker protection reference statement, will not be 

 enforced until January 1, 1995. These Include requirements for pes- 

 ticide safety training, decontamination, notification of workers about 

 pesticide applications (where notification Is not specified), display of 

 safety poster and specific application Information, and emergency 

 assistance. 



"If you have already trained your workers and handlers, you will 

 not have to retrain them in 1995 so long as you have documented 

 the training and It was conducted by a qualified pesticide safety 

 trainer. Agricultural employees, therefore, are encouraged to con- 

 tinue to conduct training and to comply with all aspects of the Stan- 

 dard during 1994, so that you will be that much further ahead next 

 lanuary. 



"The delay in implementation has not affected the New Hampshire 

 certification requirements: all private applicators and commercial ap- 

 plicators who are certified under agricultural or forestry categories 

 must now pass a worker protection test as part of the core examina- 

 tion requirements. Certified applicators who have not yet taken a 

 worker protection exam will have to do so prior to renewing their li- 

 censes In 1995. All such applicators are urged to contact the Divi- 

 sion of Cooperative Extension to schedule an exam. 



"If you have any questions as to your responsibilities under the 

 Standard during 1994 please contact the ^ 



Division of Pesticide Control at (603) 271-3550.- 



Please free to contact me, War- 

 ren Leary, at (603) 271-2611 or 

 write to: Governor's Office of En- 

 ergy and Community Services, 57 

 Regional Drive, Concord, NH 03301. 



Twilight Meeting 



On the evening of April 28, mem- 

 bers and friends came to Northern 

 Nurseries in Barrington for a 



chance to get together and see 

 what Bob Averell, Northern's man- 

 ager, calls a "meat-and-potatoes 

 nursery operation." 



Northern is one of six wholesale 

 distribution centers operating un- 

 der that name as a division of Rob- 

 ert Baker Companies. Bob has 

 been here since it began in March, 

 1988, and as he gave a tour of the 

 seven-acre facility and told about 



lUNE/lULY 1994 



