"Seeding" To Reduce Road Dust

Seeding To Reduce Road Dust FARM HOME Miscellaneous Farm Show contributor Rex Gogerty has noticed some folks in Zearing Iowa using an interesting method to keep dust down on gravel roads in front of their rural homes “I saw someone spread calcium chloride with an old endgate seeder ” Gogerty says With the gate wide open the driver travels slowly in low 4-WD down the center of the road turns around and comes back When spread before a rain or when it’s humid the calcium chloride melts right in the road The EPA-approved chemical comes in small pellet form and is available in 50-lb bags for $10 to $12/bag It’s also used as a de-icer in the winter and is available at farm supply gardening and other stores One bag does about 200 ft but reapplications are necessary every few weeks as needed It is not safe for vegetation so it should not be spread into ditches Many townships/counties require permits and the property owner should post flags on each end of the treated area so that road scrapers will lift their blades and not scrape it off Gogerty says the person he talked to reports that spreading calcium chloride worked well enough that his wife could hang out laundry to dry Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Rex Gogerty 33475 K Ave Hubbard Iowa 50122

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