Authur if your co-workers were sickened by Guthion then it was not being
applied properly or the worker was ignoring the use of PPE because he didn't
want to ware it. The statement about alar shows how truly stupid people can be.
Alar was a great product for us in the south. We used it one time at a very
light rate and it made the apples firmer and hold on the tree longer so they
could ripen better. Till this day there has not been one bit of scientific
research that has shown alar to be harmful at the rates used. The rates in the
CBS used study were on the order of eating 20,000 lbs. of apples a week for 20
years. If organic becomes more popular and larger block are incorporated you
will have a much greater chance for disease. My Biology professor in college
was Dr. Kemper Callahan and in some of the classes I had with him a little of
what he was trying to teach did find its way in. As blocks of similarly
treated produce become larger and larger you create a mono culture. In a mono
culture any problem becomes much greater because of no breaks in the
management
practices. A disease or insect problem that could be simple to control in a
small area can be impossible to control in very large areas because it just
moves faster than you can react to it.
I agree that sustainable agriculture just sounds so good. A win-win
situation for all concerned. As a producer for over 25 years unless some
changes are made at the very base levels food production in the US will be by
corporate farms or imported. With the pressure of land prices, the labor
issue,and the small, small margins of "profit". It make those long nights and
early
mornings difficult. The other thing that really bothers me is the perception
of a farmer in the US. Most people think of farmers as poor, undereducated
second class citizens. When most people think of a farmer thy see the old man
and old women with the pitchfork. In most cases the tractor and spray I drive
when purchased I could have given you change on your BMW, Mercedes or your
Lexus. The day is fast approaching that we could lose a generation of Farmers
and if that happens then $6.00 a gallon gas will be a small problem in
comparison.
Kenny Barnwell
Edneyville, North Carolina
..
************************************** AOL now offers free email to everyone.
Find out more about what's free from AOL at http://www.aol.com.
