For several years, biologist Nathan Donley has worried about the future of a pesticide database run by the U.S. Geological Survey, a federal agency devoted to environmental science. The Pesticide National Synthesis Project provides information about the use of agricultural chemicals in each U.S. county, with year-by-year records dating back to 1992. At its most comprehensive, the project tracked hundreds of pesticides. In 2019, the USGS reduced the number of tracked pesticides to just 72. Then, last March, a USGS employee casually mentioned to Donley that the agency intended to stop updating its database every year, and instead update it every five years. The Harrington Seed Destructor attached to the rear of a combine, in preparation for soybean harvest. Donley was floored. “Totally blew my mind,” he recalled in a recent email. The database, Donley knew, had developed a loyal following among academic researchers, environmental nonprofits, educators, and even other federal agencies. It had also been used or cited in more than 500 peer-reviewed papers. The proposed changes, Donley worried, would hamper efforts to understand and communicate how agricultural chemicals influence human health and the environment. After hearing the USGS employee’s remark, Donley, a senior scientist at the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity, helped organize two open letters asking the USGS to reverse the changes. Both were published last May. One letter was signed by more than 250 scientists, and the other was signed by more than 100 environmental, farmworker, and public health organizations. Since then, scientists have continued to lobby the USGS.
Electrical weed control in organic blueberry - Oregon State cooperators ucanr.edu - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ucanr.edu Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
WESTMINSTER, Colorado (PRWEB) August 08, 2022 -- Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is used to produce a variety of products – from building materials, textiles and
Lynn Sosnoskie is an Assistant Professor, of Weed Ecology and Management in Specialty Crops at Cornell University. She speaks about alternative weed control using an electric current generator on the front of a tractor moving through an orchard.
Press Release: Due to the ongoing uncertainty related to the Coronavirus pandemic, Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Northwest NY Dairy, Livestock and Field Crops Team has decided to use the virtual format again for the Soybean & Small Grains Congress scheduled for February 9 & 10, 2022. The conference will be held using Zoom. Pre-Registration is required. 2.5 DEC Points are
Cornell AgriTech, along with two West Coast universities, is participating in a $2 million study to determine if giving those pesky weeds an electrical jolt will provide organic apple and grape farmers an effective alternative in their orchards and...