Chemical Expense Index 2001

The data represents the relative expense of farm chemicals (herbicides, insecticides and fungicides) in the agricultural area of Alberta. It is an estimate of the degree to which crop production agriculture may contribute to surface or groundwater contamination.Agriculture production that makes greater use of herbicides, insecticides and pesticides in generally considered more intensive. Presenting the relative farm chemical expenses by SLC polygons reveals where the most intensive agricultural production in the province occurs. Chemical use is part of an equation to determine a measure of surface water quality risk. If an area is known to have certain risk factors that would affect not only surface, but groundwater quality as well, a higher chemical expense index ranking in that same area may be of concern. Where risks of surface or groundwater contamination exist, environmental farm planning can help to minimize them.