Atrazine is still in trouble...
This type of information format is not easy to counter emotionally. And farmers end up looking like insensitive tools too often when we try.
[Please go here to see the video in question. I couldn't embed it with controls]
With the rising question of weed resistance making many of us reach for new/old herbicide tools, losing atrazine would really hurt. It could be some farms/areas will have to be "sacrificed" to reach a compromise with regulators.
Personally, I would favor more local monitoring at farmer expense to provide hard evidence our farm is not contributing to the problem. This would impact coarse soils most, and ease the burden on high clay soil types, I would guess. These areas also seem to overlap somewhat with irrigation as well.
This is pretty "throw-under-the-bus" for the farm community, but solidarity should not be the impediment to solving the problem where the problem exists.
5 comments:
The atrazine problem is a little more complex. Heavy rains immediately after application tend to have chems in runoff water. This is more of a problem with tighter clay soils than coarse soils. Groundwater atrazine levels can be managed on coarse soils with limited applications(both single dosage and multiyear). I use atrazine on coarse soils, but I'm willing to take some pretty signifcant restrictions if I can keep the product. Btw, how is harvest,etc. going?
anon:
It is complex and my post were pretty perfunctory. Point taken.
But the slick video still presents a challenge for us to answer cogently.
As for harvest, one more day (elevator permitting) of bean harvest, then about 500 A of corn. Most will finish this week around us if not done already.
She will get what she wants.
Next film. Insects and debris in my food.
Next film. The people can not afford food for the table.
All the while she loves her "Special K" in the morning (cheap).
Being a farmer, I plan to attend the local screening of the movie with an open mind. I am hoping it is a well done, solid science backed presentation. (I'm still a bit miffed about Hollywood stars testifying before congress as experts on pesticide contamination years ago)
On the one hand,if they are citing a few parts per billion (one part per billion is like one second out of 32 years, I am told) and they have no solid statistical base to compare to, it will be hard to accept. On the other hand, Atrazine, (or any other chem.) does not belong in our waters. I think ag does not get credit for the significant improvements that have been made reducing atrazine use, installing filter strips and such. I also expect we need to continue on the improvements.
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