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Tex, Thanks for your kind message... no apologies called-for... I also new at being a PWP! By the way, MY FARM (!) is now mainly in corn and hay..... :-) All the best, Bill ************************************** -----Original Message----- From: bob armentrout [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Sunday, October 08, 2000 12:44 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: PD?FARMING/PESTICIDES A HOT REPLY Ok Bill, first let me apologize if you saw my reply as an attack on you for providing some information, because it was not intended to be. However, I do have a major problem with the summary, the way it was written, and even the title (ie states normally imply Al, Ak, etc, and not subunits of California as this research looked at) The summary did (perhaps inadvertently) appear to be a slam on farmers in that they stated they were looking at restricted use AGRICULTURE pesticides... which does imply agriculture use. I spent 5 yrs getting two degrees from a major agriculture college, and another 16 years assisting people trying to make a living in agriculture, and during those 21 years, I saw an unbelievable amount of money spent trying to find "unsafe" food/pesticide misuse etc. there have been so many erroneous reports printed and aired over the national news, that most people take them for the truth. One you mentioned is DDT - That was started by a book called "silent spring" i believe, and unless I am mistaken, there still isn't any scientific proof that DDT was doing all the harm to the environment it was accused of. Granted, I don't particularly want anything out there with a half life of 20 yrs being sprayed in my water either, and the increase of raptors since it's banning does provide some evidence of harm - but not conclusive evidence either. The Alar scare was another quick example of the press slamming agriculture with no real proof And yes, I tend to get very defensive of those folks who raise the food I eat, and I do tend to over react at times, but using poor scientific results, or publishing the results of ONE year of a ten year study, and implying that if you live where restricted agriculture pesticdes are used you are more likely to die of pd, ... anyway, i saw red over the summary, I've reread it, and still have serious questions about the validity of the study. And yes, I would need to read the article, but if it's as poorly written as the summary (which most of the research I've personally studied seems to be ie poor summary generally equals sloppy research)then the usefulness of the data is very questionable. Yes, i do believe some farmers misuse pesticides - but not nearly as bad as most homeowners I've assisted. I have no idea how many times i got a call on "what's wrong with my grass, i fertilized it" and i would ask about the exact amt applied, size of yard etc, and be told, oh i didn't measure it, i used the sack up... or I don't know how to calibrate my sprayer, so I guessed..." etc According to what I've read in the national media, all pesticides are bad and we need to go back to organic farming, which ignores the fact that organic fertilizers are just as harmful to the environment if misapplied, and that organic farming doesn't produce the quantity or the quality of food that the public expects to be able to purchase when they go grocery shopping. Finally, I guess with my retirement, and moving to an agriculture community where farmers are appreciated, and where everyone seems to be one generation or less off the farm, I've seen what a huge difference there is in the local press, peoples' attitudes towards farming etc, and it makes me sad that the nation as a whole isn't more like this community. So when I read the summary, which I still think is misleading and poorly written, I did see red. I have only been dx two years now, and certainly try to learn from people on this list, who have already been where I am. I haven't developed a thick skin over going off in public,and seeing the stares. But in the past two years, i have had several changes in my attitudes - the biggest one is realizing my own mortality, and how short life can get. so when i see something i think is wrong, i am going to say so, and if i perceive it as an attack on an industry i happen to love, then I am going to say it louder than i probably should. again, no attack on you was intended, and i do appreciate your posting information to the list - but in this case, i do question the validity of that information. and with this post, i am dropping the subject. If anyone wishes to correspond with a dyed in the wool aggie about ag or anything else, my email is [log in to unmask] sorry if i upset anyone, but i was a tad miffed I'm going to go back to my poems and fishing, and lurk awhile tex _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com.