Written by Shawn Dell Joyce, Creative Syndicate Thursday, 11 June 2011 A farmer friend pointed out to me recently that homeowners in our community use more chemicals on their lawns than most farmers use on their crops. Sure enough, a little research turned up some really startling statistics behind the American obsession for the perfect lawn. Pesticide application rates for farmers are 2.7 pounds per acre, ...

A study being reported in the journal, Pediatrics, has found that among nearly 500 newborns whose umbilical cord blood was tested for pesticide residues, those with higher levels tended to be smaller at birth. The findings are based on 494 infants born in Valencia, Spain between 2003 and 2006. Researchers found that for each 10-fold increase in any of the four pesticides in newborns' cord blood, birth weigh ...

By Steve Graham GateHouse News Service Posted Jun 15, 2011 @ 07:19 AM It may seem impossible to keep perfect green turf. However, most lawn problems are caused by a handful of diseases and bugs that largely can be prevented and controlled with the proper lawn care. Here are ways to identify five of the most common turf diseases, and some expert solutions. 1. Brown patch Ironically, too much water can turn g ...

After a research professor at Oregon's Emery University found atrazine and 2,4-D in the urine of 21 residents in the Triangle Lake region west of Eugene, Gov. John Kitzhaber has directed state health officials to determine the cause of this exposure. Although banned in the European Union, atrazine is still one of the most popular herbicides in the world, with 76 million pounds applied each year. A known hor ...

Nanotechnology, also known as molecular manufacturing (MM),  is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. The comparative size of a nanometer to a meter is the same as that of a marble to the size of the earth. Developed in the 1980's, nanotechnology is already being used in some areas, as in the manufacture of polymers- used to make plastic, concrete, glass, and rubber. Nanotechnol ...

Thursday, June 09, 2011 By Press Action Imagine walking down a neighborhood sidewalk with your young children on a beautiful late spring morning. You come to the end of the block and prepare to turn the corner when you hear a noise that sounds like an electric lawnmower. You make the turn, perhaps expecting to see a team of landscapers or a neighbor mowing his lawn. Instead, you’re caught off-guard by two m ...

The Gazette Friday, June 10, 2011 The first-ever Awakening Festival takes place June 18 in Hudson, with speakers from across the United States and Canada. The festival will focus on human and planetary health, with a special emphasis on ways to make positive impacts in local communities, according to event founder Lianne Bridges. The festival includes workshops, music, dance, an outdoor marketplace, 14 gues ...

The director of The Real Dirt on Farmer John has just released his latest, award-winning Queen of the Sun, which highlights the tragedy of colony collapse disorder taking place around the globe. Utilizing his photography talents, Taggart Siegel  juxtaposes "the catastrophic disappearance of bees with the mysterious world of the beehive," while weaving "an unusual and dramatic story of the heart-felt struggl ...

Don Huber, an emeritus professor at Purdue University and retired U.S. Army Colonel, was virtually ignored after writing a letter in January to Tom Vilsack, head of the USDA, about the environmental and animal health dangers associated with the use of glyphosate and requesting a moratorium on deregulating crops genetically altered to be immune to Roundup. Dr. Huber was sent a polite letter in response, and, ...

Results being released from a new study completed by the National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health confirms the risk faced by agricultural workers who are exposed to airborne drifts of pesticides. Published on-line in Environmental Health Perspectives, the study, titled "Acute pesticide illnesses associated with off-target pesticide drift from agricultural applications — 11 States, 1998–2006," ...