From: SafeLawns.org

DURANGO, CO. — Defiantly declaring that pesticides used to control weeds and insects are safe when used as directed and stating “I don’t believe we’re making any children sick here,” the mayor of this remote town led the charge on a 5-0 vote late Tuesday night against an ordinance that would have removed both synthetic chemical pesticides — and fertilizers — from all town-owned property.

That is only the beginning of the fight, however, in the highly independent Home Rule Municipality in the southwest corner of the state. Because organizers of the petition drive collected more than 1,000 signatures in support of what would be a historic restriction on synthetic fertilizers as well as pesticides, the initiative may now be placed on the November ballot for the town’s 16,000-plus residents to decide.

The issue of lawn care pesticides is invariably polarizing. No matter where the debate has raged in the nearly three decades since Hudson, Quebec, began hearing from Dr. June Irwin back in 1985, some folks believe the pesticides like 2,4-D and Roundup are safe; others feel that these products fall somewhere between dangerous and lethal.

Despite the city council’s 5-0 vote against the petition, Blair, Gourley and their group of organizers still hold the best cards in this spirited poker match. If they allow the issue to go to the November ballot in an election year — in which the state of Colorado is also debating the legalization of marijuana — they know they will probably win. Numerous polls have shown that younger voters especially favor anti-pesticide initiatives.

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From Beyond Pesticides, July 26th, 2011

Judge Ross of the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled that pesticides drifting from one farm to another may constitute trespass. Organic farmers Oluf and Debra Johnson filed a civil suit alleging that the oil company sprayed a pesticide that drifted from targeted fields onto theirs, and that this prevented them from selling their crops as an organic product. Previously, a district court dismissed the Johnsons’ trespass claims. The victory is important for organic growers who are frequently under threat of pesticide drift from neighboring properties.

According to court documents, Oluf and Debra converted their conventional family farm to a certified-organic farm during the mid-1990s. Oluf Johnson posted signs at the farm’s perimeter indicating that it was chemical-free, maintained a buffer zone between his organic fields and his chemical-using neighbors’ farms. He also notified commercial pesticide sprayer Paynseville Farmers Union Cooperative Oil Company of the transition. He specifically asked the cooperative to take precautions to avoid pesticide drift onto his fields when treating adjacent fields. Despite the Johnsons’ requests, in 1998, 2002, 2005, 2007, and 2008, the cooperative sprayed pesticides that drifted and contaminated the Johnson’s organic crop, forcing them to sell at a lower, non-organic price.

The District Court in Minnesota ruled that pesticide drift cannot be trespass, but the Appeals Court disagreed. While no Minnesota courts have previously ruled that drift can be trespass, courts in other states have ruled in favor of organic farmers. The appeals court sent the organic farmers’ lawsuit back to a lower court for further action.

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photo from http://www.huffingtonpost.com

HUFFINGTON POST– News recently surfaced in Washington  that  industry regulators have known for years that Monsanto’s best-selling herbicide, Roundup, causes birth defects and even miscarriages.

The report showed that regulators were aware of the harmful effects of Roundup’s key ingredient, a chemical called glyphosate, as early as the 1980′s, but kept it a secret from the public. The European  Commission as well as the German Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety insisted that was no evidence  glyphosate causes birth defects.

Finally, after discovering that genetically-modified crops  used in conjunction with Roundup contain a pathogen that was causing animal miscarriages, Don Huber of Purdue University wrote a letter to  Secretary of Agriculture requesting regulation of Roundup Ready crops. Despite research, there is no set plan to review the product until 2015.

www.huffingtonpost.com

Read more here.

More articles about Roundup and birth defects.

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Now this is crazy!

This story made headlines yesterday around the world not only because of its bizarre nature, but also because of the concerning issue of GMOs, pesticides and synthetic fertilizers that dominate the agriculture industry. So much news and legislature is centered around food safety and this just adds to the mix. But what will be the last straw that forces us to make some major changes in how our food is grown?

Farmers in China were using a chemical on the watermelons that were supposed to promote faster growth, hoping to double their yield and make more money. Alternatively, the chemical infiltrated into the flesh of the fruit, causing the top of the melon to crack and burst open…only to reveal  tainted and yellowish-colored fruit inside.

All we can say here is, maybe opt for the organic one instead?

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