Hello,
I am hoping someone can give me some valuable info here. We are about to move to a farmhouse that has a canola farm which surrounds us almost entirely. The farmer uses Roundup. I have heard about the dangers of Roundup - particularly to pregnant women. I am wondering what we can do to prevent ourselves from exposure. We would get water via a well. Should we avoid it? We also have 3 cats that we wanted to let roam outside. Is this a bad idea?
Thank you.
I'd like to know the name of the farm, so I can avoid buying canola oil made from their produce (if possible to isolate from other sources).
Or better still, pay the high cost of organic canola oil!
Persephone
Is it safe to assume that you had your well water tested by a lab so far away from your future home that it's unlikely anyone at the lab was related to the farmer through blood, politics or business?
not sure myself whether you should avoid it however if you are worried about drinking water you can set up a drinking water system using run off from your roof.
rob
If the farmer follows all of the procedures specified by the law and policies of your area (you did not tell us where you are) then you should have no problem. That may or may not be a big "if".
I would contact the farmer and express my concern. Ask him what pesticides he uses and what his procedures are. Ask him to notify you on days that he will be using pesticides near your home so that you can personally monitor the application. If your monitoring gives you concern then address them with him and the local agricultural authorities.
All of the farmers that I know in my area, (southern NH) would welcome such a discourse with their neighbors and would be as concerned as you.
JMHO
John
You might find the following of interest:
The message from "George.com" contains these words:
If your new place's adjoining garden has healthy plants growing in it, that suggests it's not being hit by Roundup weedkiller spray drift fall-out. Grass in particular is very sensitive to Roundup drift. However, the farmer may also be applying insecticide spray, whose effects don't show up so obviously but could be far more worrying. So on spray days I'd certainly stay indoors with the windows shut, and not hang out the washing to dry.
We would get water
But the roof is equally a collection system for spray particles, which would wash down into the watersystem.
Janet.
John Bachman expounded:
And you believe this because? Big chemical told you so? They have nothing to lose if they tell the truth, now, do they?
I would be more interested in discussing with them the ultimate unsustainability of the pesticides they are using. There are plenty of farmers nowadays, especially in the Northeast, that are successfully pulling in crops without using Roundup at all.
Thanks Janet. Yes, there is lots of vegetation in the yard and a massive lawn, so that's a good sign.
On spray days - how long would we need to stay away? Could the wind blow it around for days afterwards, or does it soak in immediately? It's a 150 acre farm, almost entirely surrounding us. (We're in Ontario, BTW).
I think we'll get the water tested before we use it.
Thanks alot for your help,
Darryl
That's a good thought. Maybe he'd be interested in changing his methods.
Thanks,
Darryl
The message from snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com contains these words:
It would be good if he did, but the last thing a new arrival to any rural area should do, is start trying to suggest to the resident farmers that you know how they should run their business. Nothing could be more calculated to put his back up, just when you want him to be your friend, and let you know (minimum) what times of year he sprays and (best for you) get to the point where he calls on the phone to say "I'll be spraying tomorrow if it's not too windy".
In answer to your other question; I don't know. It's something you could ask him. Bear in mind chemical spraying costs him money so no sensible farmer is likely to use more than he needs, or on a day when it will blow around and miss the target.
Janet
John Bachman didn't mention that he is an "Integrated Pest Management" consultant. In my experience with him in this NG, he has been objective and honest in his opinions.
Oh, you may want to ease in slowly on telling a farmer how to farm or at least, leave your motor running.
Janet, well written, well stated and a good piece of advice.
Yeah right, Billy. Applying glysphospate "as specified by law"...
Who do you think paid to get those laws written, my friend?
Charlie
You be in a pissy mood today, dawg. You know I don't want no 'cides, or industrial effluents, or whiz bang pharmaceuticals around me.
Didn't say that I ALWAYS agree with John. I just be doin' that "men of good will" thing 'bout disagreein'. You know the one, dawg. I've see nuthin' to indicate that John ain't a "man of good will". Don't mean the man can walk on water though.
Where are the grand kids? You got too much energy.
Heh heh........gleaned that, eh? Just wandered in and had a sharp stick in me paw and started pokin' away. You know what is said...".Watch out Opas carrying pointy sticks", or something like that.
Yes, I have noticed. I am trying myself to at least be polite when disagreein' instead of gettin' all eff you and back of the bus and stuff......but it is hard, Billy, oh so very hard, ya' know?
Things are gettin' just too damned polite round these hyar parts when it comes to the polluters and the poisoners and such.......let alone all the.........oh, never mind.
sigh......I shall follow your lead, given your advanced years and accumulation of wisdom and apparent christmas spirit. Maybe it's the bucket of margaritas you found that imbued this aura of benevolence.
The grands left, spent a couple days the both of them, and I headed online to see what was up. Read a batch of really cheery news, had to shut down the 'puter for a bit as a really wicked T'storm shot thru here and I don't need a fried modem....no time for disruptions of
*that* sort, you know. They leave me felling recharged and with a renewed sense of porpoise.Seriously, when the grandboys are around I do get really pissy after they leave......thinking about what we have done to those little guys......GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. But I keep my realism to myself and behave as I should when in the presence of their innocence. THough if we all live long enough, I have some things to teach them!
Number One already knows about poison and what constitutes good food.
He is four.
Carefully Charlie.....now listening to Floyd...."The Wall"
Jim wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@bellsouth.net:
especially if he's going to be telling the farmer that RoundUp is a pesticide... nothing like making yourself look *really* ignorant when confronting a farmer about his spraying schedules. for the most part no one is going to be spraying if it's likely to wind drift (too expensive/wasteful) anyway, but i can't say i know much about canola... lee
RoundUp is a pesticide. It kills pesty plants. Pesticide is a broad term that includes insecticides, fungicides, rodenticides, and herbicides.
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