Comments on: Strawberry Show Down: No Methyl Iodide with My Shortcake, Please

By: The First Ripe Strawberry | Chiot's Run

The First Ripe Strawberry | Chiot's Run — Wed, 26 May 2010 08:47:15 +0000

[...] one of the worst offenders when it comes to chemical pollution (and they’re about to get worse, read this). Last week I noticed the first slight blush on one of the berries when I was out weeding. If you [...]

By: Victoria

Victoria — Sun, 23 May 2010 12:38:15 +0000

I’m not growing strawberries commercially, but there are plenty of small farmers in southeastern PA who do. And we’re all using organic methods without any pesticides. The berries are about the easiest fruits to grow and using mulch of straw reduces contact with the soil, which is where they pick up disease.

I have 4 year old prolific beds that are filled with weeds (another supposed no-no) that eventually turn into a great mulch underneath the plants – I can’t keep up with production. Organics rule!!

By: FOOD TRANSFORMATION News of the Week 5-21-10 « Be Well

FOOD TRANSFORMATION News of the Week 5-21-10 « Be Well — Sat, 22 May 2010 05:06:39 +0000

[...] Strawberry Show Down: No Methyl Iodide with My Shortcake, Please [...]

By: Rebecca T. of HonestMeat

Rebecca T. of HonestMeat — Sat, 22 May 2010 03:16:55 +0000

Dale is absolutely incorrect. Strawberries like well-draining, sandy soils, which tend to be neutral to basic in acidity. A good healthy balance of beneficial organisms and organic matter to feed them are an excellent way to stave off disease, as is a 3-5 year rotation with other crops such as brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, etc.). There are many successful organic strawberry farmers with good yields using a combo of healthy plugs (starts), bio-active compost, and rotations. No need for methyl iodide to supply our strawberry hankering….

By: Lacey

Lacey — Sat, 22 May 2010 03:12:36 +0000

I have edited a CA assembly hearing so you can see and hear the scientists testimony first hand. “Methyl Iodide kills or mutates every cell it touches, on contact.” Says Kathleen Collins PhD. UC Berkeley. Dr Neil Schore UC Davis, says that because methyl iodide is 5 times heavier than oxygen it seeks to meet the groundwater, when is does it changes into methyl alcohol, and the saying is 2 tsp. and your blind and a half cup and your dead. Because, most of CA residents have groundwater as their main source of water supply it would mean that our water would become toxic/poison in as little as 4 – 6 months. Two children have died in Utah from exposure and 50 thousand Lbs. have been spilled in SC. (Source: scorecard.org) You can find the videos on YouTube, at profile name: IfilmORG . I want to urge everyone to make public comments on the California Department of Pesticide Regulation web site at: cdpr.ca.gov The public comment time ends soon so don’t delay.

Methyl iodide is made by Arysta LifeSciences, the tenth largest chemical company in the world, based in Tokyo. They named Methyl iodide Midas, like the Greek God. When I commented that King Midas killed everything he touched including his daughter, the company took the name Midas off it’s web site (as of last Tuesday). How telling, the name Midas. The salesman for Arysta LifeSciences, Bill Lewis, told the Labor and Employment committee (see video:YouTube IfilmORG) that the UC Regents are the patent owners of methyl iodide and will be paid a per pound profit for it’s use after registration. The UC Regents, in my experience pressure Professors into saying what is in their best interests. I am an alumni of the UC system and I take this personally. Methyl Iodide was formulated at UC Riverside – lab techs had serious health complications while working with MEI. I also found this article from the Annals http://www.annals.org/content/82/4/534.abstract (Methyl Iodide Intoxication: A Case Report) and “A comparative investigation of the metabolism of methyl bromide”. The reason I am being so vocal is because I am an American who is very concerned about our children’s health and safety.

By: Morgan G

Morgan G — Fri, 21 May 2010 23:49:09 +0000

Yet another reason to remain unwaveringly loyal to my local farmer.

By: Liz Ortiz

Liz Ortiz — Fri, 21 May 2010 16:20:36 +0000

They want us to support California grown, but this is a reason to avoid the Cali grown. Whats up with this…Thanks for the local guys that do organic….

By: Dale

Dale — Fri, 21 May 2010 16:19:57 +0000

Methyl iodide is a highly reactive gas which will be gone long before these fruits are picked. The danger is to the people who apply the methyl iodide.

Strawberries need to have acidic soil to kill the micro-organisms that cause strawberry diseases. If the soil isn’t acidic enough, and if making it acidic is too expensive both financially and in terms of damage to the environment, other means such as fumigation with methyl halides must be used if strawberries are to be grown.

Banning the use of methyl halides would mean strawberries could not be grown on that land, which is certainly a valid option in my opinion.

By: Kerry Olinger

Kerry Olinger — Fri, 21 May 2010 00:46:53 +0000

Why are we encouraging people to eat fruits and vegetables if we are going to expose them to cancer causing chemicals when they do so?

By: Diana Rodgers

Diana Rodgers — Thu, 20 May 2010 18:56:33 +0000

Yoo who?

We’ve got an organic movement afoot and all sorts of cancers and disorders are being attributed to pesticide use.

How bout just say NO!