VegNet Vol. 11, No. 21.
On the WEB at: http://vegnet.osu.edu
If experiencing problems receiving this fax,
Call 614-292-3857
In This Issue
1.
2.
Work Efficiency Tools for Vegetable Growers.
3.
Weed Control in Green Onions.
4.
Minor Use Pesticide Issues
5. Proposed Section 18 Reforms
6.
2, 4-D Doesn't Cause Cancer
Source:
IPMnet Newsletter #130 and Dr. Andy Wyenandt,
In
a first-of-its-kind move, regulators in the
The
state's Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board issued an official
finding "of emergency" to "prevent back injuries and related
injuries to employees by prohibiting unnecessary" hand operations. A farm
workers representative was quoted as calling the Board's action "a modest
step to ban a practice that should never have existed in the first place."
Establishment
of the temporary rule, with a permanent rule anticipated within the next year,
resulted from nearly a decade of contentious dialog between growers, especially
of organic crops, and farm workers. In 1975
Based
on input from an advisory committee of grower and labor representatives, as
well as medical advice, the Board issued a 10-page finding (http://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/handweeding0.htm)
that, while aimed at protecting worker health, incorporates numerous exemptions
and special conditions. Organic operations are exempt, as are high density
plantings and seedling crops, and crops grown in tubs or planters where a long
handled tool is unsuitable. Hand operations are permitted if growers can
justify that other means of weeding are unsuitable. Occasional or intermittent
hand operations are permitted if performed by workers no more than 20 percent
of the time during any one week period.
Additionally,
workers engaged in hand operations now must be given training in methods to
prevent injury, and must be provided with gloves and knee pads, as necessary,
along with being allowed additional periods of paid rest time during hand
operations.
Eml: mailto:oshsb@dir.ca.gov.
excerpted with thanks from the Board's website, and
from reports by the Associated Press and Reuters.
Work Efficiency
Tools for Vegetable Growers
(From:
Shorter
days and frosts bring a quick end to the vegetable growing season. Thinking
about all those projects you have planned for this winter. Here is a
Background (From the Website) The
Healthy Farmers, Healthy Profits Project is a team of researchers and outreach
specialists who find and share work efficiency methods that improve health,
safety and profits for nursery growers, dairy, fresh market vegetable, and
berry farmers. We have been working with dairy farmers since 1994, vegetable
farmers since 1996, berry farmers since 1999, and nursery growers since 2003.
Goal Our goal is to help
farmers prevent pain and injury so they can keep farming, perform daily
household tasks, and enjoy life. We also try to promote cost effective
solutions that farmers will adopt. We find new tools or methods that create a
safer, more profitable work place.
Below
is a list of the Vegetable Tip Sheets that can be found at the website. Slide
shows,
Vegetable Tip Sheets
Packing
shed layout pdf (50K) | html (8K)
Streamline
your sales area pdf (59K) | html (11K)
Mesh
produce bags: Easy batch processing pdf (63K) | html (7K)
A
strap-on stool for field work pdf (68K) | html (12K)
Standard
containers pdf (64K) | html (8K)
Try
a long handled diamond hoe for weeding pdf (50K) | html (11K)
A
rolling dibble marker for easy transplant spacing pdf (94K) | html (9K)
Build
a hands-free washer pdf (116K) | html (9K)
A
specialized harvest cart for greens pdf (110K) | html (11K)
Plans
for a specialized harvest cart html (37K)
Roll
produce on a narrow aisle platform truck pdf (62K) | html (12K)
Narrow
aisle platform truck schematic drawings html (2K)
Narrow
pallet system pdf (64K) | html (10K)
Motorized
lay-down work carts pdf (68K) | html (11K)
Stretch
out your season with hoophouses pdf (77K) | html (10K)
Postharvest Handling for Best Crop Quality html (16K)
The
http://bse.wisc.edu/hfhp/backgroundpage.htm
Weed Control in
Green Onions
(From Doug Doohan)
We
have also been informed that the EPA expects to complete the Section 3
(Federal) label for Outlook on green and dry bulb onions in the last quarter of
2004. Assuming this occurs the Section 3
label will supersede all Section 18s.
Minor Use Pesticide
Issues
(From Doug Doohan)
Wondering
what new and upcoming minor use pesticides are in the works? Check out IR 4
program on the Internet at (http://ir4.rutgers.edu/Food_Use.cfm).
This will address will take you directly to the database of current research
projects or projects that may be funded in the future. By searching according
to crop group and pesticide class (eg fungicides) you
can quickly see all projects and determine if they were a 2003 Category A (ie they were funded in 2003), a Category B (probably not
funded in 2003) or a Category C project. Anyone can request that a
project be moved forward to a Category A (funded)
project. The more who ask for a particular project, the more likely it will
be prioritized for funding. Individuals can also complete an online Pesticide
Clearance Request (PCR)at the IR 4 website. Doing this will get a new pesticide or a new use for a registered
pesticide into the IR 4 database; the first step in moving towards a funded
project.
Section
18 Labels
Growers
who require Section 18 or Section 24C labels for their file can obtain them as
downloads from the OSUE Pesticide Education website: http://pested.osu.edu
PROPOSED SECTION 18
REFORMS
(From Pep-Talk, October)
EPA
has issued a proposed rule to streamline the application and review process for
pesticide emergency exemptions. The proposed revisions would allow applicants
for emergency exemptions to generally re-certify that emergency conditions
continue in the second and third years for certain repeat requests. This way
the requesting state or federal agency will not have to submit full renewal
applications. Also, the revision would use a loss-based approach to
substantiate the significance of economic losses and adjust the data requirements
for documenting the loss.
The
proposed reforms are currently under a public comment period that closes on
(Source:
2, 4-D DOESN'T CAUSE
CANCER (From
Pep-Talk. October)
In
June, EPA released the draft health and environmental risk assessment (PEP Talk
- July 2004) for the reregistration of the herbicide
2, 4-D.
In
the risk assessment, EPA concluded the 2,4-D would not
exceed the Agency's level of concern and based on the review of the 2,4-D
studies, the Health Effects Division concluded that there is no additional evidence
that 2,4-D causes cancer.
A
2,4-D industry task force has compiled research
information on 2,4-D that is available on their web site at http://www.24d.org The website chronicles
studies on the widely-used herbicide as well as provide information on the
registration process of the product. (Source: Chemically Speaking, July, 2004)