We
are constantly being told by companies such as Monsanto, that the pesticides
used in more conventional farming are harmless, but this farmer disagrees.
Farmer
Jim Cochran decide to stop using pesticides and go 100% natural after he found
he was being poisoned by the chemicals he was using on his crops.
Jim
Cochran now runs the first large-scale organic strawberry farm, after quitting
using pesticides 35 years ago. In 1981 Jim noticed a change when he started
growing conventional strawberries, and using pesticides like everyone else did.
He
said “My eyes started to water, and I
started to get all jittery,” he went on. “I said ‘Oh boy, this is not good stuff…We
have to get away from this stuff.”
There
are an estimated 10-20,000 American farm
workers who are poisoned by pesticides like Jim, who ended up suffering from
neurological issues for months. Because of the severity of the side effects,
Jim decided he was going to stop using pesticides altogether, something which
was unheard of at the time.
Jim
now owns Swanton Berry Farm, that attracts many visitors due to it's organic
status. Organic strawberry farms are extremely rare in the US.
He
now uses beneficial bugs, single row planting, crop rotations, and other
classic techniques to help grow his strawberries, all methods which have been
out-dated but Jim has found them to be very successful.
Jim
has been active in trying to make people realise the importance of staying away
from pesticides and exposing the conventional market for what it is. He has
revealed that one acre of non-organic strawberries uses 300 pounds of
pesticides, which is about 1,100 percent more than most crops. Many of the
pesticides used on strawberries have been shown to be harmful, with methyl
bromide, chloropicrin, and Telone (1,3-D) have all been linked to cancer,
developmental problems, and hormone disruption.
Margaret
Reeves, PhD the Senior Scientist with Pesticide Action Network has warned that
current regulations are not enough; with “over 5.5 million pounds of
chloropicrin” used in California alone. The strawberries were found to have
over 54 different pesticides, all of which are harmful to humans and the
environment.
Cochran
is one a kind in his field. Many other farmers are sticking with conventional
methods, knowingly selling strawberries they know are contaminated with harmful
chemicals for the sake of a little more profit.
Source : organicandhealthy.org