Illinois Web Program Offers Ammonia Safety

Illinois and agriculture industry officials have produced a web program that offers guidelines for farmers and others to prevent accidents involving anhydrous ammonia.

A grant secured by the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association funded the effort. The association and the Illinois Department of Agriculture developed a program which features video and animation of actual ammonia accidents that occurred in Illinois and information on how they could have been prevented.

The five parts of the program cover properties of ammonia, personal protective equipment, transportation of the fertilizer to and from the field, safe hookup to field tanks and emergency response and first aid.

The Illinois Corn Growers Association and the Illinois Farm Bureau also cooperated in program development.