The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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July 31, 2007

Your View — Public has right to more pesticide-use information

Degraded surface water quality affects us all. Local farmers should use more sustainable methods.

Toxic acetochlor is showing up at high levels in our rivers and creeks. The detection of this popular agricultural chemical in our waterways reminds us that when we apply pesticides to our own properties and fields, it affects everyone.

Mankato’s drinking water comes from the Minnesota and Blue Earth Rivers, which receive some of the pollutants from agriculture areas upstream. Mankato’s municipal drinking water filtration system treats for bacteria, but does not remove chemicals.

More local farmers should move away from methods that rely on pesticides and look into traditional methods of agriculture that have been used successfully for thousands of years. More sustainable methods include no-till farming to prevent erosion, the planting of cover crops, and other organic methods that improve the health of the soil and reduce pollution.

The Rodale Institute of Pennsylvania, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, and the University of Minnesota are great resources for farmers interested in transitioning to organic methods. A Cornell University study in 2005 showed that corn and soybean yields from organic farms were the same as conventional, and yields from organic farms that used cover crops were actually higher during drought periods than chemically-managed farms.

In addition, residents should have the right to know which kinds of pesticides are applied at specific locations, as well as the associated environmental and health risks. This is the same principle that is now being applied to food and drug labeling.

Our legislators should pass pesticide right-to-know laws to give the public more information about this critical health issue.

Mara Natrakul

Mankato

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