rec.gardens.ecosystems homepage -> archive: MOD$020119.1724@rec.gardens.ecosystems



Subject: Re: Organic sweet corn
From: orangerose@aol.comnotthis (Kelly Houston)
Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com
Date: Sat, 19 Jan 02 18:47:22
Message-ID: <MOD$020119.1724@rec.gardens.ecosystems>
References: <MOD$020118.9555@rec.gardens.ecosystems>



>I asked at the cooperative meeting last night about organic sweet corn. The
>response could not have been worse. The growers had to spray insecticide
>every
>12 hours during the last week of the growing season last year. How could
>organic sweet corn survive if it couldn't get the insecticide?
>
>Any thoughts out there?
>
>
>
>
>

Organic doesn't mean that no attempt to control pests is made. There are
pesticides that are permitted on certified organic crops such as insecticidal
soap and Bt. In fact, the main damage to sweet corn is from corn ear-worms,
which can often be controlled with Bt. In addition, all farmers calculate a
certain amount of loss of crop to pests/weather--no field is perfect enough to
produce the maximum yeild all the time. AFAIK, organic farmers calculate a
larger percentage crop-loss to pests. This is one factor in the higher prices
for organic foods.

Finally, repeated use of broad-spectrum pesticides has the side effect of
killing off predatory species, starting a vicious cycle of pest "blooms" as the
pest populations expand unchecked.
Kelly