1. Stellar Growth Continues in Organics 
2. Action Needed! Stop the Herbicide Rain
3. Study Sheds New Light On Rapid Amphibian Extinction
4. Four Out of Five Bees Prefer Exhausts over Pesticides?

This week Rural Updates! explores two interrelated subjects. On one hand, there is the deepening awareness that chemicals used in food and fiber production endanger life in unseen and unpredictable ways. To help ensure land managers have this information we call on readers to act to stop the herbicide rain mentioned in our "action" item below. In counter point, we lead with an encouraging update noting the continued rapid growth organic food markets. As consumers learn more, organic markets will continue to boom offering unique markets for producers wishing to transition to healthier food production

STELLAR GROWTH CONTINUES IN ORGANICS

Once a niche market, organic food production is increasingly main stream. Stellar growth rates in the 1990's continue into this century as USDA sales volumes for 2001 more than doubled by 2005.

While specific numbers on up to date statistics seem locked in investor vaults or sit waiting on USDA desks for approval, consumers continue to take to the organic shelves. 

According to the USDA the industry has experienced a phenomenal 23% annual growth rate over the last decade. Market growth in the U.S. organic sector was initially prompted by the increased numbers, size and product range of natural food stores during the early 1990's. But with popularity, other markets began to open up. 

By the late 1990's conventional supermarkets and mainstream stores began integrating a wider selection of organic products and these outlets now account for 49% of organic retail sales. Another surprising development is that organic "pre-prepared foods" are increasingly part of the market offering possibilities for entrepreneurial commodities producers.

ACTION NEEDED: STOP THE HERBICIDE RAIN

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has 261 million acres of public land under its jurisdiction. Invasive species are a big problem on much of this land where aggressive non-native plants can hinder cattle production. While the BLM recognizes the problem, the agency has released a simplistic and potentially dangerous method solution: douse the landscape with herbicides.

Raining herbicides down is an uncreative method that indiscriminately poses threats to wildlife, ecosystems and water systems rural residents depend on. Please write to the BLM today at vegeis@nv.blm.gov and ask them to use a broader and safer array of tools to deal with invasive weeds. 

Their plan should: 1) Focus foremost on managing their lands to prevent new weed infestations; 2) Follow best management practices for timing and dosage for all herbicides, and use herbicides only in conjunction with an integrated pest management approach that also uses other tools such as mechanical control, controlled burning, and carefully screened biological control organisms; 3) Minimize use of any herbicide that is a known groundwater contaminant, developmental or reproductive toxin, acutely toxic, carcinogen or endocrine disruptor; 4) Take strong steps to avoid harming wildlife, by evaluating non-target impacts and taking a realistic look at the dangers of combinations of chemicals and of "inactive" ingredients like surfactants; 5) Halt aerial spraying, and 6) Follow all control efforts with restoration of native plant species. You can send your letter to: vegeis@nv.blm.gov.

STUDY SHEDS NEW LIGHT ON RAPID AMPHIBIAN EXTINCTION

According to scientists, one-third of amphibians worldwide are in danger of extinction. A new study indicates that agricultural chemicals and the method of testing their safety may be a significant culprit. Frogs, toads, salamanders and other amphibians living near agricultural areas are exposed to a steady concoction of herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides commonly applied to fields. In the past, experiments only examined pesticides individually to determine their impact, but a new study by UC Berkeley scientists found disturbing results by replicating the real world environment. When tadpoles were exposed to each pesticide individually, 4% died before they turned into frogs. But when nine pesticides were mixed to replicate a Nebraska cornfield, 35% died.

They also suffered from suppressed immune systems which caused meningitis. The study raises questions about the way the federal government regulates pesticides. Currently decisions are based on investigations of chemicals one at a time, not combinations, which might "lead to gross underestimations of the role of pesticides in amphibian declines." In September, a U.S.

District Court judge in San Francisco ruled that the EPA had violated the Endangered Species Act by failing to review the effects on the California red-legged frog when it approved pesticides.

FOUR OUT OF FIVE BEES PREFER CAR EXHAUST OVER PESTICIDES?

A study by the French beekeepers' association has found that bees reared in cities are healthier and produce up to four times as much honey as bees in rural areas. 

The association, known as UNAF, found that "Urban bees enjoy higher temperatures and a wider variety of plant life for pollination, while avoiding ill-effects of pesticides." Bees "can filter out city pollution such as exhaust fumes," but pesticide residues are more damaging: "These molecules are neurotoxins which disorientate the bee and make it impossible for it to find the hive again," UNAF president Henri Clement told AFP. UNAF is now promoting beekeeping in urban parks, on balconies and on roofs.