Posts Tagged: residues
No-till and strip-till dairy silage production - one of the few annual cropping sectors in CA that addresses the important soil health principle of preserving residues
September 12, 2010
Dairy silage fields under no-till and strip-till are some of the only annual cropping systems in California that address the important soil health principle of generating and preserving surface residues. While most annual crop fields are without residues due to intensive tillage practices that essentially make them disappear completely, no-till and strip-till silage farmers are achieving this key soil care practice that is otherwise ignored in most fields in the state.
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California Testing Finds Little or No Pesticide Residues on Most Fruits and Vegetables in 2015
Out of 3,600 samples of 145 fresh fruits and vegetables tested in California in 2015, just 43 had pesticide residue over legal limits, and 113 contained residue of a pesticide not approved for that commodity. Pesticide residue limits are set based on legal use of the product and violations are generally not health concerns.? The tests were conducted by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, which for three decades has been conducting one of the most comprehensive pesticide monitoring programs in the country. Other highlights from the just-released results:
As in recent years, the majority of these samples had residues at less, usually much less, than 10% of the tolerance level. The department also tested 170 fruits or vegetables labeled organic and 85.3% had no detectable pesticide residue, 11.8% had residues acceptable under organic regulations, 2.4% had residues acceptable in conventionally grown produce but not organic, and 0.6% had unacceptable residues. Certain products from China and Mexico had the highest level of illegal pesticide residues detected.
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New Reference Booklet Available for Pesticide Applicators: Understanding Pesticide Labels for Making Proper Applications
The UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (UC IPM) put together a 26-page card set in English and Spanish on understanding pesticide labels. Intended for pesticide handlers, applicators, safety trainers, and pest control advisers (PCAs), the cards explain when to read the label, describe what kind of information can be found in each section of a pesticide label, and point out specific instruction areas so that applicators can apply pesticides safely and avoid illegal pesticide residues.
Traces of pesticide residue are normal and even expected after pesticides are applied to food crops, but by the time produce is ready to be sold, purchased, and consumed, residues are usually far below the legal limit.
by Cheryl Reynolds, UC Statewide IPM Program
In its latest report from 2013, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) reported that there was little or no detectable pesticide residue in 97.8% of all California-grown produce. This demonstrates a strong pesticide regulation program and pesticide applicators that apply pesticides safely and legally. However, there have been instances in California where a pesticide not registered for a specific crop has been used unintentionally, resulting in illegal residues and eventually crop loss and destruction.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets tolerances for the maximum amount of pesticide residue that can legally be allowed to remain on or in food.
DPR regularly monitors domestic and imported produce for pesticide residues and is considered the most extensive state residue-monitoring program in the nation.
The primary way pesticide applicators can assure that they make proper applications and avoid illegal pesticide residues is to follow the pesticide label. UC IPM's new card set was developed from information in the upcoming third edition of The Safe and Effective Use of Pesticides as well as Lisa Blecker, UC IPM's Pesticide Safety Education Program coordinator. Bound with a spiral coil, this eye-catching instructional card set was designed for both English-speakers and when flipped over, for Spanish-speaking audiences as well. UC IPM also plans to release a new online course on preventing illegal pesticide residues sometime late fall.
To download copies of the card set in English or in Spanish, see the UC IPM web site.
IPM labels
Putting pesticide residues in perspective
A child could eat more than 11,000 servings of lettuce in one day without any ill effect from pesticide residues, even if the lettuce has the highest pesticide residue recorded for lettuce by the USDA. That is just one fact shared on a new pesticide residue calculator produced by the Alliance for Food and Farming, a non-profit organization that provides a voice for farmers to communicate their commitment to food safety and care for the land.
UC Riverside toxicologist Robert Krieger analyzed data from USDA's Pesticide Data Program to create the online tool. The calculator allows users to select a consumer (man, woman, teen or child) and then choose from 14 types of fruits and vegetables. The tool then calculates the number of servings that consumer could eat in a day and still not see any effect from pesticide residues.
For example, a woman could eat 836 servings of cherries, 219 servings of blueberries, or 2,332 servings of kale in one day without any effect even if the produce had the highest pesticide residue recorded by USDA.
Earlier this year, the Environmental Working Group released a shopper's guide that lists produce it calls the "dirty dozen" and the "clean 15." The working group suggested that the shopper's guide could help consumers determine which fruits and vegetables have the most pesticide residues and so are the most important to buy organic.
However, an expert panel convened by the Alliance for Food and Farming determined such lists are misleading to consumers, a detriment to public health because they discourage produce consumption, and they lack scientific evidence that the pesticide levels found on fruits and vegetables pose any risk. UC Davis nutrition professor Carl Keen was a member of the expert panel.
"There is vast and overwhelming scientific evidence which shows the health benefits of eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables,” Keen said. "Just about everyone agrees that consumers should be eating more fruits and vegetables for good health."
Keen said that even some of the groups that publish these so-called 'dirty' lists tell consumers that the benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh any small risks from pesticide residues.
"So please enjoy the abundance of choices and eat more fruits and vegetables," Keen said.
An online calculator helps consumers understand pesticide residue risks.
PR campaign to share facts about pesticide residues
Lindsay Lohan isn't the only one trying to rehabilitate a tarnished reputation. When the federal government announced funding to support specialty crops last week, $180,000 was awarded to the Watsonville-based Alliance for Food and Farming to "correct the public’s misconceptions about pesticide residues," according to a post on the California Watch blog.
The group aims to generate more balanced media reporting and change the public perception about the safety of produce when it comes to pesticide residues.
Not everyone is happy about the funding allocation. A spokesman for the Environmental Working Group asked, “Is it in California’s best interest to use taxpayers' money to give chemical-dependent industrial or conventional farming a competitive edge over organics?”
The alliance is undeterred by such comments.
“We really want to emphasize that we are not about discouraging information,” alliance executive director Marilyn Dolan was quoted. “We are about encouraging consumption of all fruits and vegetables – both organic and conventional.”
The money will help educate consumers about risks and benefits of eating fresh produce.
“Consumers are not eating enough fruit and vegetables, and part of that may be a fear of pesticides,” she said.
For more information about the specialty crops grants, see this ANR News Blog post.
A new PR effort is aimed at encouraging fruit and vegatable consumption.