19
Apr
(Beyond Pesticides, April 19, 2013) The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is encouraging farmers to use a new mapping system in order to protect organic crops from pesticide drift, though few legal protections exist to actually stop drift from contaminating organic farmers’ fields. The system, DriftWatch, is meant to facilitate communication between growers and pesticide [...]
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, Minnesota, Pesticide Drift | No Comments »
12
Mar
(Beyond Pesticides, March 12, 2013) Despite the loss of Proposition 37 in California last November, GMO labeling efforts are moving forward throughout the United States. Late last week Whole Foods Market announced its own plan to label food with genetically engineered (GE) ingredients sold in its stores, making it the first grocery chain in the nation [...]
Posted in Bayer, Corporations, Genetic Engineering, Hawaii, Labeling, Minnesota, Monsanto, State/Local, Vermont, Whole Foods | No Comments »
06
Mar
(Beyond Pesticides, March 6, 2013) The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced on March 3rd that state agencies have been ordered by Governor Mark Dayton to stop buying products that contain triclosan, a synthetic, broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent that has become ubiquitous in consumer products ranging from face-washes to fabrics. This ban, which will go into effect [...]
Posted in Antibacterial, Chemicals, Minnesota, Triclosan | 1 Comment »
29
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 29, 2013) A new study has discovered the anti-bacterial chemical triclosan and several of its toxic derivatives in sediment samples taken from freshwater lakes. Research published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology reveals the chemical to be present in increasing concentrations since it was first invented in the 1960’s. The results [...]
Posted in Antibacterial, Chemicals, Minnesota, Pesticide Regulation, State/Local, Triclosan, Water, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | No Comments »
06
Aug
(Beyond Pesticides, August 6, 2012) The Minnesota Supreme Court reversed a ruling that gave organic farmers clear redress and decided that pesticide drift from one farm to another is not trespass, but instead must, in litigation, be found to be negligence or a nuisance. The ruling, while still giving farmers a legal channel to sue [...]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Litigation, Minnesota, Pesticide Drift | No Comments »
19
Mar
(Beyond Pesticides, March 19, 2012) A group of 22 prominent entomologists has submitted formal comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) casting doubt on the future viability of certain varieties of genetically engineered (GE) corn. The entomologists, including researchers from land grant institutions in the Corn Belt and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural [...]
Posted in Bt, Genetic Engineering, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Resistance, South Dakota | No Comments »
13
Apr
(Beyond Pesticides, April 13, 2010) While the number of Minnesota school districts purchasing fresh food from local farms has more than doubled in the last 15 months, according to a survey released last week by the Minnesota School Nutrition Association (MSNA) and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), there is no mention of [...]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Minnesota | No Comments »
23
Sep
(Beyond Pesticides, September 23, 2008) According to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s 2007 Water Quality Monitoring Report, released in August 2008, the endocrine disrupting herbicide atrazine is detected in pristine lakes in northern Minnesota far from the agricultural fields where it is applied. Metolachlor, acetochlor and dimethenamid are also frequent contaminants, according to the statewide [...]
Posted in Atrazine, Chemicals, Disease/Health Effects, Endocrine Disruption, Minnesota, State/Local, Water | No Comments »
05
Mar
(Beyond Pesticides, March 5, 2008) The state of Minnesota will this week make a decision on a bill that would create a public database of all pesticides applied in the state. The bill would also require farmers and commercial applicators to notify neighbors before using restricted pesticides that are volatile. Democratic Rep. Ken Tschumper of [...]
Posted in Minnesota, Pesticide Regulation | No Comments »
03
Jul
(Beyond Pesticides, July 3, 2007) A scientist at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has filed a whistleblower lawsuit in federal court, arguing that he was first not allowed to share his research with a legislative panel, and then fired for it. Hydrologist Paul Wotzka, who worked for the state Agriculture Department for sixteen years [...]
Posted in Atrazine, Litigation, Minnesota, Pesticide Regulation, Water | 4 Comments »