Pesticide Accidents Prove Costly Farmers in different sections of the country suffered vaiying degrees of economic loss during June and July as the lesult of accidents generally involving failure to use pesticides proper ly or observe safety precautions in the use of pesticides. 55 head of cattle and 15 swine were kill ed and eight bee colonies badly damaged in nine separate pesti cide mishaps reported to USDA’s Pesticides Regulation Division during this two-month period By far the leading cause of these animal poisonings and bee deaths was “failure to follow di lections” and related misuse C OIS 5935181 ; vV Cov^ tieS ’ Other major identifiable causes were improper storage and in correct disposal of pesticides Some of the circumstances re portedly involved in these acci dents were. -Thirty-five Angus cattle had been grazing the spring growth in a field of wheat just before it was sprayed with endnn for the owner Following the spray ing, they returned to the field through an open gate from an adjoining pasture Within 10 houis, seven cows all with calves were dead The eighth died a few days later The rest lecovered Analysis of tissues ffegs 3 * 'rV 'F arr& «e als® <=“3 a " 4 „„, a »tWa4° E tveW sW 1 and milk from the dead cows confirmed the presence of en drin -Four cows died after eating sodium arsenite left in a drum and boat near a pond. The ma terial had been used for weed control three years ago -The 15 swine died after be ing spiayed with toxaphene In addition to being exposed to the spray, they appaiently ingested some of the material from small pools in the cracked cement of the area where they were treat ed -Eleven head of cattle were lost as a result of feeding in a , r>o. 19®® Lancaster D reVS V° n giticetew 3a» eS 1 pasture that had been contamin ated by endnn released from spray planes in the area. The pastuie in question was not the ta*get area Apparently, the pi lots were emptying their tanks ot any remaining spray after a lun. -Two head of cattle died af tei ingesting atrazine, a weed killer, left in the back of a jeep where the cattle had access to it - Eight bee colonies wei e bad- Iv damaged by the use of Sevm in the area The beekeepers had not been warned in advance of the spiay piogram, despite the fact that all Sevm pioducts are required to bear the following containei statement “For pro tection of honey bees, avoid use, if possible, during peuods when honey bees are visiting the crop Lancaster Farming. Sal.. September 7. 1 ( )M 2.'1 WEATHER FORECAST FOII SLPTEMItEII 1!)GR PRECIPITATION is e\ne(t"d to exceed noim.il over n wide aiea fiorn the Pacific Noilh weO through the Rockies and Plains to the Gieal Lakes Re gion. Snbnoimal totals aie ex pected in the Southeast and the far Southwest while near noi in al amounts aie in prospect in unspecified areas TEMPERATURES are expect ed to average above noimal ov PI tim Srv>*h and portions of the Ohio Valley Below normal values are expected fiom the Northern and Central Plains to the Southwest, and also in the Northeast Near noimal tem peiatuies aie in prospect else where mzL'XS VZZLS’S .-^rzr..~:.^7zz a When necessary to use during such periods, warn beekeepeis well in advance to locate hives at a safe distance until one week after application ” Carelessness in the handling, application, or storage of pesti cides can pose a very leal hazaid to people including the iarm ei, his workers, his family and neighbois In the case of valu able livestock and useful insects, this same carelessness can im pose a penalty in terms of dol lars and cents that the farmer or lancher can ill afford We used to heai “It isn’t whether you win or lose, but how you play the game ” But ever hear of a coach getting a raise for building character dui ing a losing season’
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