Anhydrous ammonia one of the biggest safety considerations on the farm

GREENFIELD — Of all the dangers presented on a typical Iowa farm, few present bigger risks to producers than anhydrous ammonia, a widely used source of nitrogen fertilizer.

The word “anhydrous” means “without water,” so Trent Raasch, local farmer and manager of the Greenfield location of 21st Century Cooperative, said it’s a gas that should be treated with respect.

Anhydrous is applied when soil temperatures are below 50 degrees, so mostly late fall or early spring.

“It can kill you. It’s a product that loves water, and if it gets on you it will suck all the water right out of you,” Raasch said. “If you breath it too much it will suck the water right out of your lungs and will kill you. They say it burns you, but it’s a cold burn that will eat away at your skin.”

Information from ISU Extension shows that anhydrous ammonia exposure can happen very fast. This can happen during its transfer from nurse tank to applicator, when equipment fails, or during transportation or application in the field.

Under normal temperature and air pressure, anhydrous ammonia is a colorless gas, but it is transported as a liquid under pressure. That means that all equipment used to apply the fertilizer must be designed for use under high pressure, or ruptures and breaks could happen.

While farmers aren’t required to take classes to apply anhydrous ammonia in their fields, employees at 21st Century do take regular classes to remain well-versed on the dangers and required safety precautions of handling the gas.

“There’s some personal protective equipment that we wear. You wear long sleeves, long pants, you always wear your rubber gloves and your goggles, and you keep water around,” Raasch said. “When we fill the tanks at our riser we always have everybody wear their gloves and their goggles, then we’ve got a big tank that we can submerge the biggest person we have on the lot in. If we do get a burn we have to keep water on it for 15 minutes.”

When running into dangerous situations with anhydrous ammonia, Raasch said it’s important producers take time to do things the right way to reduce the risk of injury.

“When in doubt just give it time, let it sit and go back to work on it some other time when it’s calmed down. If it’s leaking, try to go from the way the wind’s not blowing, and keep water around,” Raasch said.