RE: Edna's Post, County Agents, and Using Natural Products

Steve Diver (steved@ncatark.uark.edu)
Mon, 15 Feb 1999 14:01:33 +0000

> Chemical-use farmers? Chemicals are in everything! Why not use the
> well-studied pesticides (synthetic or naturally-occurring) rather trying to
> invent your own? Efficacy is important, and the really effective stuff
> (pyrethrins, fixed copper, rotenone, nicotine, Bt, etc) has probably all
> been captured under the aegis of the EPA.
>
> Dale

Language is such a little twister, ain't it?

Why would farmers want to experiment with home-remedies,
such things as herbal extracts (cinnamon oil), household items
(baking soda, hydrogen peroxide), biostimulants (farm pond
algae-slime, manure fermented in a cow's horn/BD 500,
herbal teas of comfrey or nettle), etc?

I think the answer is simple, because they have brains
with which to manage a system through enhancing the
health and ecology of the rhizosphere and phyllosphere
instead of relying on purchased pest control inputs. And more
importantly, there are still quite a few bugs and diseases that defy
control by synthetic-conventional or biorational or
certified-organic-approved pesticides. Such is the case with
hydrogen peroxide experimentation on early blight for tomatoes,
compost teas for late blight on potatoes, etc, etc.

Steve Diver

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