Please contact any one of the above listed persons if you need further information to assist you in the evaluation of this request. There are 250 different crops grown on eight and one-half million acres of irrigated crop land in the state for production agriculture. These include field and seed crops, fruits and nuts, vegetables, nursery, and flower crops. These crops require workers to enter treated areas under an REI to perform cultural activities such as irrigation and frost- prevention tasks necessary for production. The production tasks include worker activities such as moving pipe, turning on valves, checking sprinkler and drip irrigation nozzles and removing any debris or obstruction that impede the flow of water through the field and do not involve substantial contact with treated plants.
Workers also enter treated areas to conduct activities that prevent freeze damage to crops.
Under these circumstances, workers are needed to establish, monitor and maintain smudge pots, fans, and irrigation equipment to reduce plant damage. In this type of situation, growers must respond quickly to prevent substantial damage to orchard and vine crops. Crews are often needed for more than one hour to complete the frost-prevention tasks. Entering these fields is necessary to check equipment and make sure it is operating on a continuous basis during the critical period when crops are subject to severe damage. Contact with treated plants and surfaces is for very short and intermittent periods.