uk_grenada

Nope, agent orange was never made by them, and they only made some of the ingredients, sorry but your hate of that company is blinding you. Read above, I suggest you pick a better bad guy. How about the 7 sisters or tobacco.

AllanB

There are a large number of sources that say Agent Orange was manufactured by Monsanto.

Wikipedia quote "Agent Orange was manufactured for the U.S. Department of Defense primarily by Monsanto Corporation and Dow Chemical."

They certainly got very rich during the Vietnam war.....and now they are about to merge with Dow...very nice.

Do you work for Monsanto then, or have shares, can't think of any other reason you would be a fan?

Ingles

Monsanto yet again :-Comments please


Farmers in 10 States Sue Monsanto Over Dicamba Devastation

+ I might add - Scot Pruitt has sadly been appointed to lead The EPA.
This sort off abuse will only get worse under his tenure

harryo1

I agree with your comments,If the soil is organically fertile and in good order the plants,fruit or veg,will naturally develop its own immune system to combat and build resistance to bugs and insect infestation.
Also I am sure there are natural measures that can be taken to eleminate serious disease without interfering with the natural order of growth in and around the local environment,

AllanB

This is slight digression, but chemicals in general are not that beneficial to crop growth in the long term. And the disadvantages of their use are obvious.

I live in Thailand and my wife's family are rice farmers, they spend huge amounts of money on chemicals, which means that profits are almost zero.

Over the years, we have made a number of trips to neighbouring Laos, where chemicals are not used, or at least in all our many travels all over most of the country, I have yet to see it sold or stacked up ready to use, anywhere.

If you look at the crops in both countries you will see no visible difference and although Laos grow larger amounts of mountain rice, the taste is better in Laos. The reason is purely an economic one, Laos people just can't afford them and unlike other crops, rice-fields cannot benefit from crop rotation.

So whatever the claims of these chemical companies, I would take what they say with a pinch of salt.

Ingles

Slightly off thread ,but relevant.
The area I live in is one off the main producers off Apples & Pears
The PT Government made it compulsorily 2 years ago for anybody using & buying Agro Chemicals in quantities that they had to take a comprehensive course on mix quantities & safe application + take a test & pass, in doing so they would then receive a "licence" so they could continue to buy in bulk.
If you do not have a licence they will only supply "ready to use" chem's.

The overuse off Agro Chem's where I live has led to all the natural drinking water sources ="Font's" being blocked off by our local council , as they are so contaminated as to be blasted dangerous .

+ My back door opens onto a massive orchard, which is now completely devoid on any off the insect eating birds species !
Sparrows , Doves & that's about it sadly

uk_grenada

No, never worked or invested in them, i just hate inaccurate rambling. I have actually come across agent orange to kill off all plant life on rough land prior to construction.

As you can read in numerous places, the usaf made it by mixing 3 ingredients prior to takeoff, i think the shelf life of the final product is limited. The 2 active are currently available [restricted in some countries] commercial chemicals 24t and 245t both of which are availabke from a number of manufacturers.

I do agree with the recent comments, too much control or fertiliser is an issue everywhere, poor or uneducated farmers will just think more is good sometimes, and generally if the pesky critters would allow i wouldnt use chemicals. In the tropics however it is warfare, preventing ant and termite issues requires serious stuff, though nematodes can be sterilised by hot wrapping land, and the use of some resistant [agro pharma bred] crops.

Conversely ive seen smart farmers use 7 beads of npk fertiliser per seedling tree, which is the minimum useful dose, and saves money...

uk_grenada

NB my measure of safety is the gecko. If i have house geckos eating insects, the world is well. If they dusappear, i will find and stop use of anything. We have magnificent bird populations. NB theres a general purpose wash in insecticide called demand cs, it seems pretty wildlife proof, but deters ground/subterranian insects for 3 months. I know someone in australia who says it keeps his kids alive by killing spiders - but thats australia i guess... Good stuff.

Ingles

A step forward !

California Judge Rules Against Monsanto, Allows Cancer Warning on Roundup

AllanB

I am surprised this thread is still going, this is clearly an open and shut case, Monsanto are a monstrous company and would gladly poison the world for a fast buck. No one in their right mind can support such a corrupt business, unless they work for them, nor indeed any company of this type.

Heaven knows what Bayer, their new prospective buyers are going to do with them, but they are already talking about bringing GM poison to Europe. Forget nuclear weapons, they are a cakewalk in comparison, flying under the radar as they do.

Bayer are already on their way to destroying the French wine industry, with Monsanto on board, with their delightful "GM" range, they can kill off French agriculture completely.

Bayer expects charges in 2016 as wine growers link fungicide to crop damage | Reuters

philat98

Thats an interesting story about Bayer. What was Lunar Privilege doing that other fungicides dont do? The name is a bit sinister. You never seem to read much about pesticides and fungicides in wine growing. In our part of Italy they are still using copper sulphate and soluble sulphur fortunately.

GeniB

No idea re-Lunar Priviledge.. (agree sinister name) but if my gut is anything to go by whatever they put in French wine poisons me. I can't drink most of it without becoming ill the next day. Whereas I have no problem at all with Portuguese wine.. Now why would that be ?

GeniB

And NOPE Yes it was.. Between 1965 and 1969 Agent Orange was manufactured by Monsanto and supplied to the US army . Monsanto were one of nine different companies that supplied this defoliant .

liveaboard

Copper sulfate???
And you think that's a good thing?
Copper sulfate is utterly deadly and an environmental disaster.

philat98

I agree with you. However it is one of the few permitted fungicides for organic cultivation in Italy. I have been giving my vines a couple of sprays each year with the correct concentration and I haven't noticed any loss of fertility. Do you know of an effective organic control? Without an antifungal treatment I lose all the vine leaves an get almost no fruit. Most of my grapes are american fox grapes and they are supposed to have a lot of natural resistance to illness.