Cleaning Organic Farm Equipment
CLEANING ORGANIC FARM EQUIPMENT
by Mark Geistlinger, Client Services Coordinator
Do you have your own complete set of farm implements that is “dedicated organic”—only used with organic crops? If yes, congratulations! Most MOSA farmers must rely on at least an implement or two that is shared with nonorganic production, so they need to clean the equipment to prevent commingling (organic crops contacting nonorganic crops) and contamination (organic crops contacting prohibited inputs). Let’s talk about some general cleaning guidelines and key terms, and then go over some strategies for cleaning individual implements.
Within organic certification, equipment cleaning only refers to the required cleaning of implements after use on nonorganic crops or with prohibited inputs. Farmers list their implements in the equipment chart in the Farm Organic Plan, describing cleaning methods for any pieces shared with nonorganic production. Then, individual cleaning activities after nonorganic use must be documented on the MOSA Cleaning Log or the farmer’s own record. If the cleaning was performed by someone else, such as a hired baler operator or truck driver, then the organic farmer should obtain a cleaning record from the contractor and inspect the implement prior to use.
Wet-cleaning equipment with a power washer or garden hose is best when possible, but when it’s not, MOSA farmers rely on a variety of dry-cleaning methods: scraping (with hand or power shovels, metal putty knives, plastic paddles, etc.), sweeping, wiping, vacuuming (shop vacs are inexpensive and satisfying devices), and blowing with compressed air or a leaf blower. Internal chambers that cannot be adequately physically cleaned must be purged using some approved material (lime, diatomaceous earth, etc.) or organic crop to push through the remaining nonorganic product; the purged material is then disposed of or used as nonorganic. Cleaning equipment isn’t likely the most dangerous activity on most farms but can involve a lot of noise, sharp edges, and flying particles, so please wear your personal protective equipment!
Now let’s go over some ways of cleaning particular groups of implements after they are shared with nonorganic production.
• Tillage and cultivation implements (plows, discs, cultivators, hoes) Physically remove any soil or crop residue. Wipe off any prohibited materials such as rust-prevention petroleum grease from soil contact surfaces.
• Planting implements (planters, drills, seeders, transplanters) Vacuum out seed boxes, and wet-wipe off any treatment residues. Produce transplanters can often be carefully wetwashed to remove plants and soil media.
• Dry fertilizer spreaders Run empty, scrape or blow out if necessary, and purge if internal areas retain previous material.
• Sprayers (tanks with pumps, hoses, nozzles) The best practice with these high risk implements is to rely on units dedicated to organic-compliant materials, but MOSA does allow the use of sprayers shared with prohibited materials after a thorough, triple-rinse of fresh water through the unit. A commercial tank cleaning compound in the first rinse can help remove residues. Spread the rinse water away from organic land.
• Haying implements (mowers, rakes, tedders, balers, loaders) Remove any remaining nonorganic hay by sweeping, hand-pulling, or blowing off. The chambers of round balers are often self-purging, while those of square balers typically require purging with the first large bale or first few small bales.
• Harvesting implements (pickers, reapers, threshers, combines, vegetable harvesters and conveyors) Remove as much previous material as possible by sweeping, hand-pulling, blowing, scraping, vacuuming, and rinsing where possible. Internal chambers (notably combines) must be purged with an organic crop. Vegetable harvest machines and conveyor lines can usually be carefully wet-cleaned.
• Post-harvest produce-handling implements (sprayers, conveyors, dunk tanks, tumblers, cartons, hand tools) These pieces are typically designed for wet-cleaning vegetables so can easily be wiped and hosed off. Water in dunk tanks must be fresh and clean for organic produce.
• Post-harvest grain-handling implements (grinders, mills, roasters, dryers, TMR mixers, augers) These implements include internal mechanisms that rarely can be wet-cleaned, so typically require a purge with organic grains after the units are swept off and vacuumed out.
• Crop storage units (silos, grain bins, walk-in produce coolers) Given the size and difficulty in cleaning large grain and forage units, these are obvious candidates for dedication to organic crops! To clean prior to switching to organic use, work safely within the unit to vacuum, scrape, scoop, and blow away the remaining crop material. Coolers shared with nonorganic production must have excellent segregation through signage and separation; surfaces of shelves and bins should be wet-cleaned prior to organic use.
• Transportation units (chopper boxes, grain wagons, gravity boxes, mobile produce bins, over-the-road trucks) The farmer’s best tool, gravity, should be employed initially to remove remaining material through bottom openings, aided by scraping the interior sides and banging on the exterior ones. Require hired grain drivers to come with clean units and then inspect them upon arrival.
Do you have a farm implement not mentioned here, or have a cleaning suggestion to share? Call or write to the MOSA Client Services Team and let’s talk equipment-cleaning! We’d love to help you set up an effective system for your farm or learn what’s already working well for you.