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  • From: "Jill Taylor Bussiere" <jdt AT itol.com>
  • To: "market farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Methyl Bromide till 2015/
  • Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2000 10:05:20 -0500


Alex,
I should be outside, but am recovering from spending all day with others
getting ready for an open house for a Farm Market Kitchen - a community
kitchen project we are trying to make happen. It would be beautiful weather
to be outside, and the strawberries need yet more weeding, so I will after
this!

Thank you for your answer - it is very helpful!
What is it that is put on the strawberries to make them turn red, even
thought they are green, do you know?

Jill
----- Original Message -----
From: Alex McGregor <waldenfarm AT sprintmail.com>
To: market farming <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Sent: Thursday, June 15, 2000 10:00 AM
Subject: Re: Methyl Bromide till 2015/


> Jill,
>
> Hugh may be outside right now. I'll answer what I can and Maybe Hugh will
share some of
> his knowledge.
>
> Methyl Bromide is injected into the soil as a gas to kill all life. This
results from
> the thinking that if you kill everything, you kill the "bad guys." This
is widely used
> by strawberry growers and some monocrop vegetable growers. It's used with
annual crops.
>
> The problem is that the only life forms that recover rapidly after
sterilization are the
> "bad guys," like fusarium, resulting (they think) in the use of more
sterilant. Sort of a
> self-perpetuating system- sterilization increases the problem.
>
> Hugh refers to an Acres USA article as an attachment to his letter. I'm
assuming this is
> the issue containing the interview with Elaine Ingham. She has worked
with California
> strawberry farmers who had used methyl bromide for years and were looking
for
> alternatives. Her bioassay of their soil showed that the soil ecology was
dominated by
> the "bad guys" and that the "good guys" were few or not present.
>
> She had them add compost with a balanced soil ecosystem present to
inoculate the soil and
> balance their ecosystems- with great success. These growers are no longer
using methyl
> bromide and are producing above average crop yields while decreasing their
cost of
> production.
>
> The moral of the story is, encourage a healthy soil ecosystem through
proper soil
> management and add beneficial organisms through good composting practices
and/or
> Biodynamic preparations to suppress disease rather than trying to kill
everything and
> hopefully get the "bad guys."
>
> Current research on methyl bromide centers around finding another
sterilant. The methods
> being tested are other chemicals, solarization and injecting steam. All
follow the same
> flawed logic of killing all life. Dr. Ingham's work is an exception. It
follows the
> proven theory that a healthy soil ecosystem results in healthy plants.
The "technology"
> is available to stop using methyl bromide right now. But the chemical
companies have law
> makers convinced that they have to come up with a chemical alternative
before it's
> banned. They have also convinced the farmers who use it that they have to
use a
> sterilant or suffer crop losses.
>
> The only reason I can see for pursuing sterilization techniques is that it
keeps farmers
> dependent on supply companies. Dr. Ingham's work moves farmers towards
independence and
> economic sustainability.
>
> Alex McGregor
> Walden Farm
>
> Jill Taylor Bussiere wrote:
>
> > Hugh,
> > Is this the substance that is used on strawberries? Can you tell
what
> > it is used for, on what fruits and vegetables, and if there are any
other
> > ill effects besides the sterilization of the soil? Or some relevant web
> > sites?
>
>
> ---
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