05
Dec
Upcoming EPA Review of Nitrates in Waterways Raises Health and Environmental Questions About Synthetic Nitrogen Fertilizer Use. In a quiet reversal of a 2018 Trump administration decision, EPA is resuming an evaluation of the health impacts of nitrate in water, reflecting the long-standing and mounting evidence of synthetic nitrogen’s adverse effects on human health and the environment, particularly in vulnerable communities.
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, California, Cancer, Climate, Climate Change, contamination, Disease/Health Effects, Drinking Water, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Fertilizer, Groundwater, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Livestock, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nitrates, Nitrites, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Synthetic Fertilizer, Thyroid Disease, Water, Water Regulation | No Comments »
24
Jun
(Beyond Pesticides, June 24, 2020) Communities across the U.S. are restricting the use of biosolids (sewage sludge) in their jurisdictions, as researchers at Michigan Tech plan to study whether Covid-19 can persist in wastewater and sewage sludge. While relatively unknown to many city-dwellers, the use of recycled human waste on farm fields is a common practice in many rural communities throughout the country. Issues associated with smell, runoff, and contamination are often the impetus for local leaders to investigate and consider banning their spread, but the potential for the waste to vector coronavirus gives the issue a new sense of urgency.   In Oklahoma, the small town of Luther earlier this month voted to ban the use of biosolids on farmland. The issue was brought to town leaders after a report from FOX 25 found that a local sewer plant was spreading the waste on area farmlands. “Our goal with the biosolids program is to get beneficial reuse rather than just taking it to a landfill and filling up a landfill with this…And [the farmers] get it for free and of course, the farmers line up for this,” Kris Neifing, Director of Water Resources for Edmond, OK, told FOX 25. […]
Posted in Agriculture, Biosolids/Sewage Sludge, Florida, Oklahoma, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
23
Oct
(Beyond Pesticides, October 23, 2014) Lawsuit filed against Environmental Protection Agency for approval of 2,4-D use on genetically engineered corn, soy crops in six Midwest states.A coalition of farmers and environmental groups filed a lawsuit to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today on behalf of six Midwest states where a toxic herbicide cocktail called Dow’s Enlist Duo, a blend of glyphosate and 2,4-D, was approved on October 15 for use on genetically engineered (GE) crops. Approved for use on GE corn and soybeans that are engineered to withstand repeated applications of the herbicide, the creation of 2,4-D-resistant crops and EPA’s approval of Enlist Duo is the result of an overuse of glyphosate, an ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup. The misuse resulted in an infestation of glyphosate-resistant super weeds which can now be legally combatted with the more potent 2,4-D. Dow Chemical has presented 2,4-D resistant crops as a quick fix to the problem, but independent scientists, as well as USDA analysis, predict that the Enlist crop system will only foster more weed resistance. “The toxic treadmill has to stop,” said Jay Feldman, executive director of Beyond Pesticides. “EPA and USDA cannot continue to ignore the history, science, and public […]
Posted in 2,4-D, Agriculture, Announcements, Arkansas, Chemicals, Corporations, Dow Chemical, Farmworkers, Glyphosate, Kansas, Litigation, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, State/Local, Tennessee | No Comments »
28
Aug
(Beyond Pesticides, August 28, 2012) New research reveals that bats may be at greater risk from pesticide exposure than previously suspected. When foraging at dusk, bats can be exposed to agricultural chemicals by eating insects recently sprayed with pesticides. A study from the University of Koblenz-Landau in Germany reveals that bats, due to their long life span and tendency to only have one offspring at a time, are particularly sensitive to reproductive effects from pesticides. The study, “Bats at risk? Bat activity and insecticide residue analysis of food items in an apple orchard,” published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, details the health effects of bats foraging on insects in an apple orchard after it was sprayed with the insecticides fenoxycarb and chlorpyrifos. After field applications of the pesticides, scientists measured the remaining chemical residues on flies, moths and spiders for two weeks. The highest residues were recorded on leaf dwelling insects and spiders, while lower contamination was found for flying insects. Based on this data scientists calculated exposure scenarios for different bat species, each with different feeding habits, and found that those which fed off insects from the leaves of fruit trees to be most affected. Researchers indicated that current […]
Posted in Alabama, Chlorpyrifos, Fenoxycarb, Oklahoma, Pollinators, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | No Comments »
01
Jul
(Beyond Pesticides, July 1, 2010) A recent study by Seong Park, Ph.D., published in the Agronomy Journal, demonstrates that manure generates higher economic returns than anhydrous ammonia, a synthetic fertilizer. Dr. Park, a research economist with Texas AgriLife Extension Service found no significant difference in yield between organic and chemical nutrient sources. The long-term experiment conducted in the Oklahoma Panhandle compares the use of pig and beef manure to anhydrous ammonia in irrigated corn fields. The region has seen rapid growth of animal population and density. The use of animal manure for fertilizer not only reduces or eliminates the need for synthetic fertilizers, it also significantly reduces waste management costs. Dr. Park found anhydrous ammonia to be the most costly source of nitrogen, due to purchase price, which is not normally required when using beef or swine manure. Swine effluent had the lowest application costs since it can be applied through existing irrigation equipment. The only additional cost would be equipment to pump effluent from the lagoon where it is stored to the center pivot. Beef manure and anhydrous ammonia require application machinery. Beef manure is however a more economical choice if it is being transported to crops on another […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Oklahoma | No Comments »
