Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
4/13/99
Contacts:
Charles Schwab, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering,
(515) 294-6360
Randy Allman, Agribusiness Association of Iowa, (800)
383-1682
Farmers Can Help Prevent Anhydrous Ammonia Theft
AMES, Iowa--By handling anhydrous ammonia with care this spring, farmers can assure safety for themselves, their workers and their livestock, and possibly reduce the wave of thefts for use in making methamphetamine.
Anhydrous ammonia is a widely used nitrogen fertilizer, applied to 61 percent of Iowa's 12.4 million acres of corn in the spring or the fall. Because it turns to vapor immediately on contact with air, anhydrous ammonia is stored in tanks under high pressure and at temperatures of about minus 30 degrees so it can be injected into the ground. Less than a gallon is needed to produce a powerful illegal stimulant, methamphetamine or meth.
"Under normal conditions, anhydrous ammonia requires extra caution by farmers because it is so caustic and burns any tissue it comes in contact with," said Charles Schwab, Iowa State University Extension farm safety specialist. "But because of its use in making illegal drugs, farmers could be walking into a trap every time they go out to their tank."
Schwab urged farmers to check anhydrous ammonia tanks before use for
* signs of tampering, such as hoses that have been cut or loose valves;
* broken or missing wire ties or seals;
* vehicle tracks or other indications of activity in the area, and
* items commonly used in the manufacture of meth, including duct tape, garden hose, bicycle inner tubes, buckets or coolers.
"By all means if you see someone you don't know, do not approach them," Schwab advised. "Leave the area and contact authorities immediately. These people could be under the influence of the drug and can become dangerously violent with very little warning."
Randy Allman, vice president of the Agribusiness Association of Iowa, said increased awareness may be helping to curb the theft problem. All 882 anhydrous ammonia dealers in Iowa have received copies of a new fact sheet designed to help them inform customers about the problem.
The information also has gone to every law enforcement agency in the state, and a 24-hour hotline has been set up for dealers to report questionable activity.
"The biggest thing farmers can do is work with their dealer to have the tanks delivered as close to the time they are needed as possible," Allman said. "They're much easier to secure in the dealer's lot than on a farmstead."
Allman said empty tanks attract would-be thieves. In most cases, empty tanks still have enough chemical that can be drained and used for the manufacture of meth. He suggested that tanks in use should be parked near a road or driveway so that suspicious activity can be more readily noticed and reported. He advised against parking tanks in the yard, however, to reduce potential dangers to family members, farm workers and nearby livestock.
For more information about anhydrous ammonia security, contact your ISU Extension county office or local law enforcement agency. A copy of the brochure, "Anhydrous Ammonia Theft: What You Need to Know," is available on the world wide web at http:www.exnet.iastate.edu/Publications/PG99015.pdf or at county extension offices.
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