Yes, I was really unhappy and disappointed about Marin Organics. I contacted them right away, urging them not to offer to poison themselves in some vague hope that this would placate CDFA. Unfortunately, CDFA wants the task of poisoning us all themselves.

I also heard about the illnesses that happened after that meeting. Just dreadful.

Mim

http://www.sonomanews.com/articles/2008/05/29/news/headlines/doc483f559354abc044275869.txt

i don’t see a date for actual application in this article or on the cdfa website yet. last we heard all twist ties were on hold, there were questions whether they were working or not. this if the first i’m hearing that they’re baaaaccckkkk….

another farming group that disappointed people is marin organics as they requested immediate ground treatment in order to avoid aerial spraying, especially because the area of marin to be treated is relatively small.

many others felt this way too until we got educated about the actual chemicals involved; some of this education was conducted by people who got very ill by ground treatments. a couple of people, one chemically sensitive, the other not, were sickened at the open house meetings when twist ties and sticky traps were taken out to be viewed. some were sealed, some considered old enough to be used up and not toxic anymore.

Thank you for letting me know that.

Whole Foods, meanwhile, constantly mislabels their produce here (where it’s from). They’ll have big signs saying “Apples from Washingon”…then you look at the apples and they all have stickers saying they are from Chile. Lack of careful attendance to details in the produce department.

Several people in the Sonoma Region are circulating a document I authored about the toxic twist ties. I want to call the elementary school that is in the region and warn them of what is going on. Donna, do you have specific details for time/location of that Sonoma meeting? Thanks!

Mim

ccof supports ground treatments now. whole foods has been a flip-flopper too as well as the sierra club. cdfa would say, see; we are using organic farming techniques like you asked, we are so green and cutting-edge but like you said, not over cities!
we are not vegetables but we might be if you spray us for years. although for me it took about five minutes of exposure.

i just came across an article on a twist tie open house in sonoma on june 2. i guess twist ties are no longer on hold. i wanted to make sure you saw the info. just remember they are very safe!

donna

And, of course, Western Growers Association is A.G. Kawamura’s former stomping grounds, so not a surprise to see that on there.

CCOF should not be on that list if CDFA is still saying they support spraying. They did change their minds after further thought, thank goodness. And then Whole Foods came out saying that they support CCOF.

So long as food production remains chemically-dependent, we’ve got a big problem in California and the aerial Checkmate spray is only a part. The big difference, obviously, is that spraying of conventional crops happens on farms, and this is happening over cities. CDFA are such hopeless pesticide junkies that even doing this makes sense to them. Spray everything! It’s just crazy.

Thanks, Donna.
Mim

Tulare County Farm Bureau

Monterey County Farm Bureau

Fresno County Farm Bureau

Calif. Certified Organic Farmers (supposedly changed their minds re. aerial spraying)

Alliance for Food and Farming

California Citrus Mutual

Calif. Farm Bureau Federation

Santa Cruz Farm Bureau

Los Angeles County Farm Bureau

California Tomato Growers Association

Agricultural Council of California

Western Growers Association

Food sprayed with checkmate was allowed to be sold as organic but the consumers knew better. Then again, a lot of damage done to farms was not done by the moth but by the crazy cdfa people trampling local farms looking for ravenous moths.

Why would the Reedley City Council be so eager to curry favor with CDFA? That’s a really interesting question! And, it reminds me of the bizarre position of silence that has been taken by the Monterey Bay Aquarium in regards to the fouling of the bay. What went on behind the closed doors? Lack of transparency is really grievous in this situation.

Which group do you belong to, Tom? You mention ‘our efforts’ and I’d be interested to know which group you are working with to try to mobilize farmers against this potential abuse of their communities.

It’s a very difficult situation, especially where conventional farming, dependent upon pesticide as it is, is concerned. Pesticide is a part of daily life in the valley, and conventional farmers may be inured to its use in a way that would shock non-farmers. I’m hoping whichever group you belong to will at least be able to see eye to eye on the deadly nature of pesticides with any organic farmers in the Central Valley, and that, with the conventional farmers who engage in pesticide use, you will be able to talk about the inhumanity of supporting pesticide application on human beings against their will.

Hopefully, your group will be able to find some common ground with both groups of farmers.

I would add, I think using farmers as a tool is exactly what CDFA intends to do. They have already authored statements along the lines of “farmers support LBAM spray.” Wouldn’t you say their whole intention here is to get CV farmers to pick up the party line about the necessity of LBAM eradication to protect crops, and wouldn’t you say they are looking at farmers as their pawns, Tom?

I wish you luck in your group’s efforts, Tom, and hope you’ll let me know which of the spray groups you are working with.
Mim

The CDFA has turned to the Central Valley to seek more support. We’re writing to the Governor, legislators, the media, and others to warn them that pitting farmers against their customers is not a good idea. And we’re considering putting on a forum in the Fresno area that will try to offset some of the misinformation that the CDFA is guilty of spreading. Planning for that type of event will take some time as we gather as much support as we can from the farming community.

For those reasons and because we are beginning to know and understand the people who grow the food we subsist on, we are unwilling characterize the farming community as a tool of the CDFA. Doing so will not advance our efforts, nor is it at all fair.

Thanks for taking the time to comment!

Tom -
Nice to see you here. I’m really glad you’ve taken the time to share your thoughts on this. Did you get a chance to read the resolution? The majority of the language in it revolves around protecting the farmer’s job and the world’s fruit basket.

Are you saying that you feel Reedley’s City Council is intentionally NOT representing what farmers want?
This would be newsworthy, indeed, if this is the impression you got.

Mike DeLay did tell me about the one fellow at the meeting who asked, “why are you bringing fear into the valley?” Though I was very heartened (and saddened) by this one farmer asking this, my understanding of his meeting with the farmers was that they looked uncomfortable hearing about the illnesses and deaths caused by checkmate, but that the resolution has remained standing, as is.

I so hope you’ll come back and let me know if you feel that Reedley’s City Council went against the wishes of farmers in creating their horrible resolution.

Truly, when it comes down to it – in my eyes, at least – this is not a situation of farmers, city folks, coast folks, rural folks. I see this as a humanitarian issue in which it would be insane for any Californian to support an aerial assault on human beings, whether they live next door, in another state or another country.

But, CDFA is going after the farmers in the Central Valley now, and I urge each and every one of them to refuse to support such an assault on human beings.

I hope you can come add some more of your thoughts, Tom. I’m really interested!
Mim