Podcasts about Chlorpyrifos

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a rule to revoke most tolerances for chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate insecticide widely used in agriculture.

With the first day of summer just around the corner, things are heating up on the Sorghum State Podcast! This week's episode features important announcements regarding double crop agreements and the use of Chlorpyrifos, a recap of the Tulsa Port Showcase, and a small peek at what's to come from researchers within the sorghum industry. Tune in today! 

In today's episode, Brook gives us an update to our last episode, which introduced a decision coming out of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, holding that the EPA improperly "revoked all tolerances" for the use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos. Today, Brook explains EPA's December 2023 response to the court's decision, and how that will affect the 2024 agricultural growing season.  Hosted by Chloe Marie, Research Specialist—With Brook Duer, Staff Attorney—Produced by Chloe Marie, Written by Brook Duer Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law https://aglaw.psu.edu/ Follow us on Twitter: @AgShaleLaw Like us on Facebook: Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law This material is based upon work supported by the National Agricultural Library, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

After three years and dozens of public hearing disagreements, a handful of wolves from Oregon have been airlifted to Colorado and released, and EPA decision praised that advances the request to allow the year-round sales of E15.

Jon Jackson, founder of Comfort Farms in Milledgeville, has been named 2023 Conservationist of the Year, and EPA decision praised that advances the request to allow the year-round sales of E15.

After three years and dozens of public hearing disagreements, a handful of wolves from Oregon have been airlifted to Colorado and released, and EPA decision praised that advances the request to allow the year-round sales of E15.

In today's episode, Brook and Chloe talk about a decision coming out of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, holding that the EPA improperly "revoked all tolerances" for the use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos. Brook explains the background of the use of EPA's chlorpyrifos rule and how this decision changes the legality of the product. Hosted by Chloe Marie, Research Specialist—With Brook Duer, Staff Attorney—Produced by Chloe Marie, Written by Brook Duer Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law https://aglaw.psu.edu/ Follow us on Twitter: @AgShaleLaw Like us on Facebook: Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law This material is based upon work supported by the National Agricultural Library, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Illinois Farm Bureau's Mark Gebhards previews a survey of members as part of the Future of the Organization strategy. We hear about USDA Rural Development Director Betsy Dirksen-Londrigan's new appointment with USDA. A report from DC on year round use of E15 and the next steps for the pesticide Chlorpyrifos. Plus some last minute gift giving ideas from the U of I meat sciences.

WA Farmers President on Biosecurity Levy, APVMA to Ban Chlorpyrifos and how has he seen 2023....See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A group of Mid-North farmers are taking trucks loaded with feed to farmers around Orroroo struggling with the combination of low rainfall and poor stock prices, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority has proposed banning a popular insecticide used across Australia, and South Australian researchers hope a new food sanitiser they're developing can help prevent millions of cases of foodborne disease each year.

KSQD 7-05-2023: American Society of Anesthesiologists now recommends drinking fluids with sugar until 2 hrs before a surgery; Masks are attributed to preventing COVID deaths in doctors during the pandemic; US Supreme Court rules against Amgen in a case of over-reaching patents of monoclonal antibodies that lower cholesterol; New pneumonia recommendations for vaccines are very confusing and dysfunctional; Is continuous monitoring for C-reactive protein, hsCRP, beneficial? What are the safe solutions for osteoporosis treatments? A FRAX score helps assess fracture risks; Advice on calcium, vitamin D and vitamin K supplementation for osteoporosis; Generic cancer drug supply problems; Giant African snail that carries infections is causing problems in Florida; Qantas Airlines helps passenger jet lag by adjusting meal timing and contents during very long flights; The EPA is finally going to ban the nasty pesticide chlorpyrifos; 10 pesticides that are toxic for Parkinson's disease have been identified; Speaking 2 languages when young reduces dementia symptoms when older; Memory prosthesis copies signals from the hippocampus to other parts of the brain to improve memory

U.S. Trade Representative and Ag Secretary evaluate Mexico's amendments to decree to ban import and purchase of biotech commodities, and Eighth Circuit Court hears arguments for reinstatement of chlorpyrifos tolerances.

Inside Agriculture Segment 1

Episode 105: Antidotes to toxidromes. Some poisonings share common signs and symptoms and may be treated with antidotes without laboratory confirmation of the offending agent. Dr. Francis discussed with Dr. Arreaza some of those toxidromes and how to treat them. Written by Aida Francis, MD. Participation by Hector Arreaza, MD. Definitions: • Antidotes are substances given as a remedy that inhibit the effects of another drug of abuse or poison. Most are not 100% effective and fatality is still possible after administration. • Toxidrome is a constellation of signs and symptoms caused by an overdose or exposure to chemicals or drugs that interact with neuroreceptors. Toxidrome is the combination of the word “toxin” and “syndrome”. Management strategies of toxidromes are determined by the signs and symptoms even when the causative agent has not been identified. A little bit of Background: The World Health Organization reported that 13% of deaths caused by poisonings are children and young adults. Intentional poisoning attempts are more frequent among adolescent women than men. It is difficult to evaluate poisoned patients because they are too altered to provide history and there is often not enough time to perform a physical exam or obtain serum studies prior to life-saving interventions. To diagnose a toxidrome clinically, you need three elements: pupil size, temperature, and bowel sounds. For example: Pinpoint pupils with hyperactive bowel sounds point to cholinergic toxidrome, and dilated pupils with high temperature, and hypoactive bowel sounds point to anticholinergic (see details below). Pinpoint pupils -> Bowel sounds -> Hyperactive: CHOLINERGIC -> Hypoactive: OPIOIDS Normal or dilated pupils -> Temperature -> High -> Bowel sounds -> Hyperactive: SYMPATHOMIMETIC -> Hypoactive: ANTICHOLINERGIC -> Normal or Low -> Bowel sounds -> Hyperactive: HALLOCUNOGENIC -> Hypoactive: SEDATIVE-HYPNOTICS Anticholinergic Toxidrome and the Physostigmine antidote: • Anticholinergics inhibit the binding of acetylcholine to the muscarinic receptors in the central nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. Examples of anticholinergics include atropine and tiotropium. Other substances that may cause anticholinergic toxidrome include antihistamines (especially first-generation: diphenhydramine), antipsychotics (quetiapine), antidepressants (TCAs, paroxetine), and antiparkinsonian drugs (benztropine). Symptoms of toxicity include tachycardia, non-reactive mydriasis, anhidrosis, dry mucous membranes, skin flushing, decreased bowel sounds, and urinary retention. Neurological symptoms include delirium, confusion, anxiety, agitation, mumbling, visual hallucination, and strange behavior. Neurological symptoms last longer because of the anticholinergic lipophilic properties which cause them to distribute into fatty organs and tissues like the brain. “Mad as a hatter, red as a beet, blind as a bat, hot as a hare, dry as a bone” [Spanish: loco como una cabra, rojo como un tomate, ciego como un topo, seco como una piedra, caliente como el infierno] • The antidote for anticholinergic toxidrome is physostigmine. It is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor and prevents the metabolism of acetylcholine. This increases the level of acetylcholine in both the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system. Physostigmine can cause seizures and arrhythmia, so close monitoring in the hospital is required during treatment. Cholinergic toxidrome and its antidotes atropine and pralidoxime: Acetylcholine is part of the parasympathetic nervous system and cholinergic substances can induce a parasympathetic response. Some of these substances include pesticides, organophosphates, carbamate, and nerve gas. Chlorpyrifos had been used to control insects in homes and fields since 1965. It has been used in our crops in Bakersfield, and the most recent mass exposure was in May 2017. it was banned on food crops in the US in August 2021. It has been banned for residential use for a longer period. Repeated exposure to chlorpyrifos causes autoimmune disorders and developmental delays in children and fetuses. The symptoms of cholinergic toxidrome can be summarized with the SLUDGE/ “triple” BBB acronym. This includes salivation, lacrimation, urination, defecation, gastrointestinal cramping, emesis, bradycardia, bronchorrhea, and bronchospasm. There can also be muscle fasciculations and paralysis. • The antidote is Atropine. Pralidoxime is used for organophosphates only because it cleaves the organophosphate-acetylcholinesterase complex to release the enzyme to degrade acetylcholine. Pralidoxime should be used in combination with atropine, not as monotherapy. It requires hospital admission, and a note for organophosphate, remember that the patient needs external decontamination (shower). Let's go to part 2 of our discussion, environmental exposure. Carbon Monoxide Toxidrome and the antidote oxygen: Carbon monoxide intoxication is usually due to smoke inhalation injury. Carbon monoxide is a silent gas produced by carbon-containing fuel or charcoal. Carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) forms in red blood cells when hemoglobin combines with carbon monoxide, reducing the binding and availability of oxygen at the tissue level. It's like CO falls in love with hemoglobin and hemoglobin cheats on Oxygen by binding to CO instead, and neglects oxygen delivery to tissues. Carbon monoxide also causes direct cellular toxicity. The symptoms and signs of poisoning include headache, altered mental status, nausea, vomiting, visual disturbance, Cherry-red lips, coma, and seizure. You can also see lactic acidosis and pulmonary edema. Neurological symptoms can be chronic, so it's important to follow up. The blood COHb level must be used to confirm the diagnosis because standard pulse oximetry (SpO2) and arterial partial oxygen pressure (PaO2) cannot differentiate COHb from normal oxygenated hemoglobin. You must obtain a serum COHb level. • The antidote is 100% oxygen or hyperbaric oxygen therapy and close follow-up. Consider intubating if there is edema of the airways due to inhalation injury. Cyanide Toxidrome which include sodium nitrite, sodium thiosulfate, and hydroxocobalamin In combination with Carbon Monoxide poisoning Cyanide poisoning can simultaneously be caused by inhalation of smoke or colorless hydrogen cyanide or ingestion of cyanide salts or prolonged use of sodium nitroprusside (ICU for hypertensive emergency). Symptoms are very similar to carbon monoxide poisoning. There may be long-term neurologic deficits and Parkinsonism. Diagnosis is clinical and waiting for serum cyanide levels can cause treatment delay. However, serum lactate levels over 10 mmol/L suggest cyanide poisoning. • Since cyanide poisoning resembles carbon monoxide poisoning and both toxidromes typically present simultaneously in the pathognomonic fire victim, treat simultaneously with sodium nitrite, sodium thiosulfate, and hydroxocobalamin as well as oxygen as mentioned with carbon monoxide poisoning. Hypnotic and sedative substances (antidote: flumazenil) Examples of hypnotic or sedative substances are alcohol, benzodiazepines, or zolpidem. Signs and symptoms of toxicity include slurred speech, ataxia, incoordination, disorientation, stupor, and coma with mild and rare hypoventilation and bradycardia. • The antidote is flumazenil which is a competitive antagonist at the benzodiazepine receptor. After treatment monitor patients for seizures in case of TCA poisoning, arrhythmia, or epilepsy. Opioid toxidrome (antidote: naloxone) Examples of opioid intoxication in children would be heroine in adolescents or accidental ingestion of pain medication in young children. Signs and symptoms are similar to the sedative toxidrome except for the pathognomonic finding of miosis or “pinpoint pupils” on physical exam. There will also be respiratory depression, hyporeflexia, bradycardia, muscle rigidity, and absent bowel sounds or constipation. Hypoventilation is severe and can cause death. • The antidote is naloxone which is a synthetic opioid receptor antagonist that can diagnose and treat opioid poisoning. It is indicated if the respiratory rate is less than 12. It has a short half-life and is repeatedly administered every 3-5 minutes until the respiratory drive is restored in order to avoid rebound respiratory depression and intubation. It has a rapid onset so the patient must be observed for 24 hours for opioid withdrawal symptoms. Summary: It is important to be able to recognize a toxidrome and antidote early. Once the antidote is administered, you should observe the patient 24 hours for symptoms of rebound toxicity or withdrawal. Consider repeat administration of the antidote if rebound symptoms occur and treat withdrawal symptoms as needed. Don't forget to consider multidrug poisoning if symptoms are non-specific. Thank you for having me on your podcast to review this topic. ____________________________ Conclusion: Now we conclude our episode number 108, “Antidotes to Toxidromes.” Remember you can start treatment of a patient with typical signs and symptoms of specific toxidromes, especially in patients who are unstable. We hope you enjoyed this episode. We thank Hector Arreaza, Aida Francis, and Arianna Lundquist. Audio Edition by Adrianne Silva. Even without trying you go to bed being a little wiser. Thanks for listening to Rio Bravo qWeek Podcast. If you have any feedback, contact us by email at RioBravoqWeek@clinicasierravista.org, or visit our website riobravofmrp.org/qweek. See you next week! _____________________ References: 1) Jaelkoury, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons. 2) Hon KL, Hui WF, Leung AK. Antidotes for childhood toxidromes. Drugs Context. 2021;10:2020 11-4. Published 2021 Jun 2. doi:10.7573/dic.2020-11-4, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8177957/. 3) Royalty-free music used for this episode: Space Orbit by Scott Holmes, downloaded on July 20, 2022 from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes/.

Dr. Trisha Leaf from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture Pesticide & Fertilizer Division discusses how pesticide regulation works at the federal and state level. The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) is federal law that governs how pesticides are registered, distributed, sold, and used in the U.S (i.e., "the label is the law"). Recently, tolerances of a common insecticide, chlorpyrifos, were revoked on all food and feed crops and is no longer permitted for agricultural use in 2022. Enlist Duo has also undergone label changes where initially use was not permitted in six MN counties due to endangered species concerns, but after review, use is now permitted after determining those species are not present in those counties.

Vine Mealybug (VMB) is a challenging pest in many vineyards. Growers are increasingly incorporating biological control into their Integrated Pest Management programs by releasing Mealybug Destroyers and Anagyrus Wasps. Brett Chandler, President and General Manager at Associates Insectary explains how these two beneficials help manage VMB populations. The Mealybug Destroyer (Cryptolaemus montrouzieri) is a predator beetle. It feeds on eggs and small stages of VMB. The Anagyrus Wasp is a parasite. It lays eggs inside the Mealybug. The challenge with the wasp is that they are very susceptible to many chemicals and require more specialized conditions to be effective. Brett describes how to monitor for both Mealybug and beneficials, when and how often to release the insects, the best release methods, and how to pair beneficials with chemical control. References: 26: Controlling Mealybug Vectors of Grapevine Viruses 119: Vine Mealybug 101: Species Identification, Lifecycle, and Scouting to Create an IPM Program An Important First Step in Biocontrol: Don't Kill the Good Insects Associates Insectary Beneficial organisms for vine mealybug control Donate to the Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship Anagyrus vladimiri (formerly pseudococci) Mealybug Destroyer (Cryptolaemus montrouzieri) Natural enemies of Pseudococcus mealybugs SIP Certified Sustainable and Organic Control of Vine Mealybug in Vineyards: Two Growers, Two Approaches Sustainable Ag Expo November 14-16, 2022 Vine Mealybug Management- UCIPM Get More Subscribe wherever you listen so you never miss an episode on the latest science and research with the Sustainable Winegrowing Podcast. Since 1994, Vineyard Team has been your resource for workshops and field demonstrations, research, and events dedicated to the stewardship of our natural resources. Learn more at www.vineyardteam.org. Transcript Craig Macmillan  0:00  And with us today is Brett Chandler, president and general manager of associates and secretary in Santa Paula, California. And thanks for being here.   Brett Chandler  0:07   Thank you for having us Craig.   Craig Macmillan  0:10  You have been in the world of biological control for a long time. And you have seen a lot of trends and a lot of different approaches and a lot of different paths. And the pest that I want to talk about today is vine mealybug on winegrapes, specifically, and I'm very interested in the bio control strategies that people are employing and how they're doing it and how successful they're turning out to be. And some of the advantages of taking a biocontrol approach.   Brett Chandler  0:35  Well, it's actually an integrated approach, where you integrate your chemicals, as a last resort, your cultural practices as a first mainline, and then most importantly, monitoring the insects, both the good and the bad, and keeping a good track on what's happening in the vineyard. And it's much easier than most people think,   Craig Macmillan  0:57  You know, I want to shift to that one point there right away as as one of the challenges is you have to measure to manage, right, that's a common saying. And with beneficial insects, one of the challenges that I always found was how to monitor beneficial insects. I was a field checker for a long time, and I'd find lots of pests, but I couldn't find the beneficials. But we had reason to believe that they were part of the ecosystem, you know, populations would go up and down. And, you know, what recommendations do you have for any particular organism, maybe Cryptolaemus ? For monitoring what the populations are like?   Brett Chandler  1:30  Cryptolaemus, the organism itself is pretty standout, it's pretty obvious. But when it's feeding among the mealybugs, it's very easy to mistake because it's a mimic, it looks just like the mealybugs, and it can be working among there in numbers that you don't notice, unless you really take the time to look at it. What you're going to find with, say Cryptolaemus feeding is you'll find empty egg masses, where you'll see the white fluffy egg mass where the mealybug normally produces it young, but they're actually empty. And that you come to find is easier to recognize, the more often you see it. It's not that technical, but it is something you need to recognize. And through repetition, it's very doable for most most farm employees.   Craig Macmillan  2:14  And again, that's a combination of recognizing the insect itself and also recognizing the evidence that the insect has been there. Because oftentimes, that's what we're looking at is we're looking at the indirect evidence, you know, I should mention, I just dived right in. So the Cryptolaemus montrouzieri is the mealybug destroyer, and is a predator, is that correct?   Brett Chandler  2:34  Correct. It's a predator as opposed to the Wasp, which are parasites, which lay their eggs inside the mealybug. The Cryptolaemus beetle actually feeds on the eggs and consumes mass quantities of the eggs and smaller stages of the mealybugs. It's a it's a predator like any other that is not attached to any one stage, but feeds at all stages available to consume.   Craig Macmillan  2:58  Tell me a little bit about predators. I mean about parasites next.   Brett Chandler  3:01  The parasites, they're a very unique creature. They're highly specialized, they will only feed on one or two species where they can find and lay their eggs. Only the females do the feeding, the males do no feeding, they simply breed and provide no control. They are also very susceptible to many chemicals that the beetles or other predators may be less susceptible to. They also are very host specific. In other words, if there's not enough of the pest around, they won't find it and they may starve. If there's too many, they may be repelled, or they don't like them at that high density. So they're a very, very specific tool for a very specific circumstance. But broadly, the need to be used in only specific locations and times of year because they're they're quite delicate.   Craig Macmillan  3:55  You mentioned feeding. I thought the parasitoid wasps just lay their egg in the adult. And then it was the larva yes that had hatched out that does the damage. Is that right?   Brett Chandler  4:08  Well, actually, it does both. It's called Host feeding. And host feeding occurs in some cases where they're not getting enough protein. And they may feed on one because they'll find a mealybug and if it's too small or too large, they won't lay their eggs on it. But they may kill it by feeding on it or merely annoying it. Actually the Asian citrus psyllid parasitoid tamarixia, it kills twice as many by feeding than it does actually laying eggs.   Craig Macmillan  4:34  There you go, that it's fantastically interesting. If I'm trying to monitor for the wasps. How do I go about doing that? Because they're tiny.   Unknown Speaker  4:42  Very, very difficult. But again, early season, they're going to be laying their eggs inside the smaller mealybug and it's very difficult to find but once the first generation has passed, and the adult Wasp has emerged from what we call the mummy, where the egg has crawled out and become an adult fed on the mealybug. And emerged by chewing a hole just like a chick, choose a hole in a chicken egg, you see that characteristic round hole in the mealybug pupa. And that tells you that an Anagyrus adult emerge from that pupa.   Craig Macmillan  5:16  When we think of pest monitoring, and we think of densities, and we count or we quantify somehow, and then we come up with changes over time. Maybe we do our timings or pesticide timings, maybe based on that or decisions, whether we use pesticides at all based on that. What are the ways of measuring density? And what kinds of density measures do we use and thresholds to use for deciding Yes, this is really working well. Or maybe I need to do an augmentative release.   Brett Chandler  5:44  Well, for both of these, this is not an established what classic biological control where you release once and allow it to come on. The insect and the Wasp with the mealybug have what's called a dynamic equilibrium where it takes them time to bring the population down. And so that time may be too long, where the grape clusters are infested with the mealybug. And you don't allow that to happen. So you use the technique called an inundated release, where you release many more than the natural population would be in hopes of bringing down the climbing population because the key to control is actually the second generation of these insects that are released whether wasp or beetle, not the first generation. A wasp can lay 100 to 150 eggs, a beetle can lay up to 400 eggs. So that's 400 times the control in the second generation than the first.   Craig Macmillan  6:39  And how do we distribute these in the field? What's the what's the method by which both the beetle and the Wasp are introduced?   Brett Chandler  6:46  Many methods can be used. Drones are much more popular now and being used. The drone pilots are quite quite adept at getting them where they need to be when they need to be. We work with companies like Parabug, who are quite familiar with working with the beetles and depositing them quite a bit in the Central Valley forests and other growing locations and the Wasp as well. Hand releasing can if you have a clumped distribution, where you only have pockets, hand release is probably better if you have it broadly where the vine mealybug is broadly throughout the vineyard, a drone is helpful. But drones can be expensive to come for just five or 10 acres, you need to get a large acreage to make it effective where several neighbors get together and the neighboring vineyards all working together to allow it to happen. Drone pilots have to travel, their time. So to be cost effective, you need a larger acres for the drone. But at the same time, you need manpower available to release by hand as well.   Craig Macmillan  7:43  So for dropping a beetle, we're dropping as an adult?   Brett Chandler  7:48  Yes, we ship the beatles as adult their wings and they can fly. So when they come out, they'll drop a little and start flying and working towards the vine. And settle on the line, if there's any mealybug in the area, they will immediately be olfactory stimulated to search for them. They smell the mealybug and that's one of the driving things that attracts them and keeps them in the vineyard. Feeding as long as the population is is active.   Craig Macmillan  8:49  Is that true for the Wasp as well?   Brett Chandler  8:49  The Wasp is more of a solitary searcher, they like very small numbers when the vine mealybug are just emerging from under the bark or maybe on the edge. When high numbers of vine mealybug come out, they unfortunately attract the ants and the ants are the downfall of the Anagyrus. Anagyrus goes from very effective to about 2% effective when the ants are active in the in the vineyards. It is a big limiting factor of theirs. Whereas the Beatles because of their mimicry, they even smell like the mealybugs, and the ants will ignore the juveniles. Once the adults have laid the eggs, the ants will ignore them. And they can feed and control the mealybug with no disturbance from the ants.   Craig Macmillan  8:55  Interesting. Is there an advantage to using both types of organisms?   Brett Chandler  8:59  You can if you're properly timed in high numbers mid season, the beetles are definitely better because they're more effective. As far as bringing down high numbers and a little more tolerant of active spray programs. If you're using mating disruption that works very well. A recent study showed that beetle feeding is actually stimulated by the odors of mealybugs by the female pheromone and it actually stimulates their feedings. So it not only collaborates but it's actually a synergistic effect if you're using pheromone systems like the CheckMate or something like that. And if you're using trapping, that also helps you to time your initial releases of your parasitoids where you want to get them out there very early and as about a week after your first flight is a good time to plan to release. The problem is you don't know exactly when that is and that's the biggest problem is the lead time to get these insects grown. It's about 80 days for the Wasp and about 105 days for the beetles where we have to have those on hand and have started growing them 100 days before you need them. And that's that's the limitation, they don't have a long shelf life.   Craig Macmillan  10:10  So tell me more about the rearing, I think this is really fascinating.   Brett Chandler  10:13  The rearing system is actually rearing on live mealybug host, we rear ours on citrus mealybug, which is a similar host to vine or grape mealy bug, but not problematic if it should escape. So we have large colonies of millions of mealybugs in enclosed spaces, where we raise them to high densities, let the beetles go in the rooms, the adults lay their eggs, feed, reproduce, those 500 400 eggs hatch out, and then we harvest them out of the room, put them in bottles, and ship them to growers. And we've got about five to 10 days from harvest to use them so that they're still strong and vital. That's why we can't hold them over really from more than a week.   Craig Macmillan  10:55  So do you have like phases, you have different different populations that are kind of different stages, so that you can kind of hit the windows as you're going forward? Because otherwise you'd have everybody coming online at 105 days. That'd be like, okay, we got five days to do all the business in the world. Let's get them out there now. You must must wrap it up somehow.   Brett Chandler  11:15  Yeah, you're exactly right, we start logistics in January, and start talking to growers all the way up as far as Napa is down as far south as Delano, and everywhere in between. And if you'll notice, the vines come on at different times along that gradient as well as you run north to south. So that staggers it a little bit. But May and June are we're swamped. We're selling every one we can grow and working to grow more each year. So we do have to stagger them. And we do have almost 50 rearing rooms, where we have cycles coming off every couple of days. So we have fresh every couple of days. So it's continually going on a year round basis. And interesting thing this winter has been we sold tripled the number of beetles this winter than we normally have. And it's just taxing our staff to the maximum. So unfortunately, this year, we are not going to be rearing the Anagyrus Wasp, we simply don't have the manpower for it this year. I believe there's another source for those that's available. But the beetle demand is so strong, we're doubling our population from last year and thinking we're going to need to double it again to make it available because demand is so high.   Craig Macmillan  12:24  So this is really been adopted?   Brett Chandler  12:25  Very much very much. We've been doing it for about 10 years up in Napa and about eight years in the Central Valley and then scattered through that in the Central Coast. And it's becoming more and more driven by the the customers the end customers that want to see a sustainability component to the grapes going into the system. And also a big problem shifting towards the Beatles is the big problem has been for the Anagyrus has been the loss of Lorsban. Chlorpyrifos was actually a very good IPM tool that could be sprayed at the base of the vines to keep keep the ants at bay and allow the Wasps and the Beatles to do a better job. And with this loss, and not a great replacement on the horizon, people are having to use more and more than they did at the past. I mentioned about the Anagyrus dropping off, it drops about 75% and effectiveness when ants are present. So as ants come up, you need many more Anagyrus to get the same concentration in the past. And same thing with the beetles which were treating a lot more acres than we had but also more per acre.   Craig Macmillan  13:32  So there's no overwintering of either of these organisms?   Brett Chandler  13:37  There actually is. As far up as as in Tracy and Lodi area, we've had some overwinterings in most winters. The problem is the numbers are so low, that it's hard to get them going in the spring. You kind of have to kickstart it, but we do get carryover particularly along the coast, we get a lot more carryover. But the wasp, the populations dropped so low, it's very, very difficult to get much carryover with that. So seasonal inundative releases, which is what we've used in citrus for almost 100 years. We've been growing these beetles here for just about 95 years, and they're a great supplement to your pest control. You can't expect classic, practical,complete biocontrol in a crop that is not a naturally occurring ecosystem. There's not an ecosystem somewhere with 100 acres of perfectly uniform vines all coming in at the same time.   Craig Macmillan  14:27  Yeah, yeah, no, absolutely. And so this is not a refugia issue. It's not like oh, if I just had the right you know habitat for them they would establish and hangover it's that isn't that's not really a strategy that would work either populations in place.   Brett Chandler  14:42  In most areas you can get a few but the refugia is, can be problematic. They like soft bodied pests, the beatles particular and the mealybug you're not going to get mealybug to produce over the winter they go underground or under the bark so there's simply no food available for the wasp. But the beetle will feed on many soft bodied insects, reproduce on several species of mealybugs. But truthfully, there's not much activity during the winter months, and they have to kind of settle down and it takes them a while to get up to numbers and the pests being, taking advantage of that get jump started in the spring. So if you could get caught up, but you may be on your economic threshold, and they may be in your bunches by the time you get that done.   Craig Macmillan  15:29  What is the integration of cultural control, cultural practices, biological control, chemical control? So the, you know, the classical IPM framework. What do you see growers doing in terms of that integrated approach that's working well, not just for the control the mealybug, but it's also making it possible for these other practices to work well?   Brett Chandler  15:51  Well, the control of the ants through either minor cultivation, or banding with sticky, sticky materials on on the poles and on the lines to exclude the ants. Cultural practices as the're pruning to flag where it was a problem last year, you got those black vines, you've got sooty mold residues so that it combines to catch your eye particularly at this time of year at budbreak. And early in the season. flag that. That's going to be where you're going to see your activity first. And you can have a reward to your pruners to your irrigators to weed people working. Give them the flag and they come back and show you how many they did and you buy them lunch, something like that. Anyone can notice the black stains, you don't have to be highly educated. Then you concentrate your scouting on those black spots rather than having to canvass the entire vineyard. Where the black spots are is where you're gonna see the problem emerge first. Later in the season for spread, you'll have to spend more time. But that's a good economy of time, is to allow everyone that goes through the vineyard to have a part in monitoring.   Craig Macmillan  16:59  And then I can target what I do, whether it's a release or, or whatever. How to pesticides come into play here? Because I think there's always a conflict between biological control agents and pesticides.   Brett Chandler  17:12  We found a good solution in the citrus which seems to work in the grapes just as well. Particularly with newer products like Movento, Spirotetramat, very soft on beneficials, goes into the tree provides long control, goes into the vine provides long control, is not particularly disruptive, has very low surface residue. We found the mealybug and the Cryptolaemus aren't too disrupted by sulfur sprays either. And they do pretty well there. Abeamectin sprays for mites seem to do pretty well. Some of the plant growth regulators though can be quite hard on the beetles. Like Esteem. They will impact them as well. So that is something although it's considered safe for parasitoids, it's not safe for predators. And so we want to watch those when you combine those. Imidacloprid doesn't seem to do too much of a problem with when that's chemigated in or even applied on on a surface surface treatment. We just tried to time the releases to say a week after after your application of something like that, or a few days before a sulphur spraying. By timing it allows the beatles to find it, lay their eggs, which they will almost immediately, same with  the wasps. Having something blowing dust. Even if it is just sulfur dust is highly disruptive, no one would want to have a bag of dust blown on them. And so just the disruption breaks down their activity. So giving them a few days of free time to get used to the odors, detect the mealybug find them do their feeding or their egg laying before you have to pass through again. So the calibration and the timing and the synchronization between your scheduled sprays is is it's usually not too hard to do but it does take a little forethought.   Craig Macmillan  18:53  You might have mentioned this but I'm not positive, we're talking about a release in the spring. They're not additional releases after that, it's a one release per year.   Brett Chandler  19:02  Actually not. The Anagyrus are so expensive to rear the high numbers aren't practical and so many are lost for various reasons that they release about every two weeks up to eight times a year. The Cryptolaemus we do an initial release at a base number and then a follow up release if it's if it's needed by by scouting and and about 50% of the time it's needed. So Cryptolaemus maybe once maybe twice, antivirus up to eight times. So there's a lot more work involved in the Anagyrus. So and they're more expensive. So you want to make sure you're using an expensive tool like that to its best effect. So if you have ants, Anagyrus are not recommended.   Craig Macmillan  19:45  Now we talked about the fact that overwintering isn't really practical, but what things can I do during the season to encourage protect, promote the beneficial insects that I've released?   Brett Chandler  19:54  Very simply the some of the broadleaf plants, some of the lupins and things like that will, if allowed to grow near the vines, will offer a little alternate nectar and a little food if the numbers are getting low for the beetles. The wasps, they will host feed. Like I say they're much more delicate, and it's hard to keep them around. That's why the constant releases during the year because of multiple overlapping generations, they're only feeding on about four days out of 30. Of a 30 day lifecycle for the mealybug, only four days that mealybug appropriate to be stung. So trying to get that you're releasing constantly to provide some loss there at every stage of the life. So that one wasp finds its mealybugs every couple of weeks. The main thing is to keep the disruption of the harsh chemicals to a minimum, or at least timed and coordinate with your insectary. The other thing is coordinating with your insectary and getting to know your supplier. Ask them do you have you know, customers already booked for this time. You know, historically, when when you've first seen it each year. You know historically, when your bunches normally close up, and when you want to get it in there. Follow the the history of vineyard and have it in your mind when you speak to them and give them a target window as early as possible. And they will work with you. You may have to shift a week or two, like I said one way or the other because of availability, but we're constantly expanding production to try and supply everyone as needed. But it's the growth of this. It's grown 30 40% In the last two years in demand, and it's just quite a quite a tough talent to find people that know how to grow insects to hire them. There's not a job board you put up and say, recruiting insecr rearing people, come on over.   Craig Macmillan  21:37  What is your experience? What are growers telling you? This sounds like this is a grower to grower explosion. Talking to people and I'm like. So what are you hearing back from growers that's making them so excited or making them really recommend this to their neighbors?   Brett Chandler  21:52  It seems that they see results. But it's very difficult to quantify an exact percentage, but they're they're satisfied with it. We had one grower who started out and promised he would buy from us if we wouldn't tell anyone he was using them. He thought it was a competitive advantage. And he wanted to keep it a secret from his neighbors because he thought he had one up on them.   Craig Macmillan  22:16  Meanwhile, the pressure of spread from across the fence line continues. I can see that I get you know I can I can see the mindset there. It makes sense. It makes sense. That's one thing I've always loved about this industry, and I've learned about Ag in general is how kind of collaborative it is. Insane things in the wine side, people ask me, you know, oh, or you know, how cutthroat is it? And it's like, well, there is competition, but also everybody's in the same boat. We're all facing the same problems. It's all the same time. You know, I mean, we're kind of a community regardless. With that idea, are you finding, is the spread of information, is this via meetings? Is it just one to one? Is there press stories that have made a difference? I, I'm just really curious about this as a model for other kinds of sustainable technologies.   Brett Chandler  23:01  It I think it's a combination of both. But the onside demonstration, the Lodi, grape growers have have had onsite demonstrations of drone releases for everyone to see. Things like the the Ag Expo, it's been going on and talking about that Kena Daane's been talking about it for several years. But now the practicality of it is really coming forward because people were scared that it was a lot more work. And it's not really. But it is it is a different kind of work, and it is practicable. But it does produce good results. And that's why the growers are coming back year after year to us and buying more each year. I don't think they'd be wasting their money if if they didn't think it was effective. And it seems to be that they're quite satisfied with with the results they're seeing in all aspects of it.   Craig Macmillan  23:48  Are there new things on the horizon? Or things that have just kind of happened recently that are exciting? Are there other organisms that have potential or there are other methods that are starting to show us potential? Do we have new information about the fine mealybug we didn't have before?   Brett Chandler  24:02  You'll have to talk to Dr. Daane about that. Kent knows all the details. I know he's working very hard on it. And he has been for many years. As I say, I think the drone technology and the practicality of the drones is making it more practical to people. Because whether it's an insect or a vineyard, you don't have people standing around, you're usually short handed, especially now. And the drones allow them to also to cooperate them with themselves and their neighbors and work among themselves to have the drone come in and do large scale releases. And that frees up the labor and they may take a few and do some a couple spot releases, but overall they can do broad releases and introduce them to an area, frankly the way we have done with the scale parasites in the citrus for 65 years. And the innondative, area wide approach brings it down and tends to expand overall control. While it's hard to tell on an individual vineyard block or orchard the overall regional control, you'll see it effectively as the numbers begin to drop. As long as we can keep good control of the ants. The ants are a plague in the citrus as well and a huge problem for us. And we use the Lorsban as well and founded quite an effective IPM tool, and we're looking forward to some useful replacement on the near horizon.   Craig Macmillan  25:18  Is there a biological control agent for their Argentine Ant?   Brett Chandler  25:22  They've tried. The thing is a super colony, believe it or not, in other parts of the world, two colonies from 50 yards apart, will fight each other. But most of Western California is one super colony of Argentine Ants that cooperate and feed. They actually keep the Fire Ants out. Where they have controlled them. The Fire Ants come in and they reduce the control and the Fire Ants are decimated by the Argentine Ants in Southern California.   Craig Macmillan  25:49  That's interesting. That's really, really interesting. Well, I want to thank you for being our guest today. This has been great, a lot of great information and some kind of hope, I feel. It's exciting when we get biological control success. At the beginning of the philosophy, like you said, going back 100 or more years ago to classical approach, we had a couple of successes that were really, really exciting. And then people kind of discovered how difficult it was. And I really appreciate folks like you and the rest of the community that keep sticking to this idea, and finding ways to make it work, because it's a fantastic strategy, and it has its place may not be perfect, but man, it makes a huge difference. And I think that's really great. I want to appreciate that. So I want to thank our guest, Brett Chandler, President and General Manager of Associates Insectary for being on the show today. I look forward to seeing you again. It's been a few years before just bumping into you in person again.   Brett Chandler  26:40  I hope so. Craig, look forward to seeing you soon. Thank you.   Transcribed by https://otter.ai

The cost of growing crops could outpace revenue for many farmers this year, and a federal judge denies two stays of the EPA's ban on chlorpyrifos.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza was found in domestic poultry in twelve states and a California federal court denied a preliminary injunction against Proposition 12. Then, EPA issued an order denying all objections to its final rule revoking all chlorpyrifos tolerances and Hanover Foods entered into a consent order with EPA over multiple wastewater treatment facility violations. Also, several organizations issued a letter to state leaders advocating for federal review of hemp in animal feed.   Hosted by Audry Thompson, Research Assistant—With Brook Duer, Staff Attorney—Produced & Written by Audry Thompson Material from the Agricultural Law Weekly Review—Weeks Ending February 25, 2022 and March 4, 2022.  Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law https://aglaw.psu.edu/  Follow us on Twitter @AgShaleLaw  Like us on Facebook Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law This material is based upon work supported by the National Agricultural Library, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Music is “Caazapá (Aire Popular Paraguayo)” by Edson Lopes is licensed under CC BY 3.0.

Many California farmers and ranchers will get no federal water deliveries in 2022, and Monday kicks off Ag Safety Awareness Week.

The University of Georgia CAES talks about the threat of avian influenza, and Monday kicks off Ag Safety Awareness Week.

North Dakota Ag Commissioner Doug Goehring has advised the EPA that the North Dakota pesticide program, Project Safe Send, doesn't have the resources or funding to accept large quantities of chlorpyrifos for disposal.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Multiple ag groups filed suit to stay EPA's chlorpyrifos prohibition rule and highly pathogenic avian influenza was confirmed in commercial flocks in Indiana and Kentucky. Also, the state of Maryland, along with several environmental groups, filed suit against Valley Protein.   Hosted by Audry Thompson, Research Assistant—With Brook Duer, Staff Attorney—Produced & Written by Audry Thompson Material from the Agricultural Law Weekly Review—Week Ending February 11, 2022 Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law https://aglaw.psu.edu/  Follow us on Twitter @AgShaleLaw  Like us on Facebook Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law This material is based upon work supported by the National Agricultural Library, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Music is “Caazapá (Aire Popular Paraguayo)” by Edson Lopes is licensed under CC BY 3.0.

Cassandra Olds (colds@ksu.edu) was guest for the week talking about the EPA removal of Chlorpyrifos (insecticide) from agricultural production.  This product is used in one brand of eartag, and she addresses how to properly dispose of this recalled product and other management options for fly control via eartags.

I am so excited to have Emily Unglesbee join me to talk about some of the hot topics related to pesticides and herbicides in agriculture.  We had lots to discuss...and even in the week since we recorded, there has been more news stories on these issues. Contact Info for Emily Unglesbee Twitter:  @Emily_Unglesbee Links to Topics Mentioned on the Show List of Emily's recent articles Emily's article on new Enlist registrations Emily's article on the Enlist county bans  Emily's article on Chlorpyrifos tolerance restriction Emily's article on lawsuit seeking to hault Chlorpyrifos rule Emily's artilce on dicamba damage in 2021 Emily's artilce on pending dicamba lawsuit Blog post on 2020 Ninth Circuit dicamba ruling Emily's artilce on improper interference with 2018 dicamba registration  Blog post on December 2020 dicamba registration  Emily's article "What the Endangered Species Act Means for Ag Pesticide Use" Emily's artilce on potential pesticide shortages  Emily's artilce on the glyphosate force majeure declaration 

With the future of food policy looking murky, we turn to experts in the field to help us understand the realities of the bureaucracy surrounding food security, farming rights, and pesticide regulation. We speak to scientists whose research influences the policy we see on the congressional floor. We hear from nonprofits working to navigate the endless maze of food assistance programs and advocate for those on the receiving end. And, we break down the legislation influencing the future of food sovereignty in the US. There are rarely clear answers or defined conclusions when it comes to the policy surrounding one of humans' most basic needs. But, as we head into the new year, we hope these stories serve as a reminder that there are people working towards a more equitable and sustainable food future for all. Further Reading:To learn more about the current state of debt relief for Black farmers, read this article from Civil EatsTo read up on the latest updates about soil carbon storage, check out this article from The CounterTo read the full language of the amendment and public commentary you can take a look at the Maine election guide from November 2021 as well as the Ballot Pedia pageFor more Maine farming statistics, check out the 2020 state agricultural report.To learn more about the corporations who own the majority of the worlds' seed patents, you can read this Deutsche Welle articleFor stats on hunger in the U.S., go to Feeding America's websiteTo learn how you can get involved and take action on policy regarding school meals, check out FoodCorps' Action Center.To learn more about some of the nutrition provisions in the Build Back Better Act, check out this report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.To learn more about the Natural Resources Defense Council, go to their website here.Keep Meat and Three on the air: become an HRN Member today! Go to heritageradionetwork.org/donate. Meat and Three is powered by Simplecast.

In this episode we are joined by Dr. Doug Pfeiffer, Professor and Fruit Entomologist from the Department of Entomology at Virginia Tech. Doug's focus is primarily with fruit IPM and ecological interactions in vineyard, orchard, and small fruit systems. His research has focused on several invasive fruit insect pests, as well as mating disruption of lepidopteran pests such as grape root borer. Doug joined us on the podcast to discuss alternative pest management strategies to the recently banned insecticide, Chlorpyrifos. This episode includes a breakdown of everything involved with mating disruption and is a must-listen for growers or agents looking for ways to sustainably manage grape root borer or peachtree borer. We also discussed other alternatives to chlorpyrifos and even delved into spotted lanternfly and its potential to harm Southeastern vineyards.

A federal court declined to dismiss a suit seeking to compel USDA to regulate animal handling in poultry processing plants and the Humane Society filed suit against Smithfield Foods claiming that the company's use of gestation crates is misleading. Also, several producer groups filed an EPA petition challenging the agency's chlorpyrifos tolerance revocation and the New York Public Employment Relations Board certified state's first agricultural worker union.   Hosted by Audry Thompson, Research Assistant—With Brook Duer, Staff Attorney—Produced & Written by Audry Thompson Material from the Agricultural Law Weekly Review—Week Ending October 22, 2021 Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law https://aglaw.psu.edu/  Follow us on Twitter @AgShaleLaw  Like us on Facebook Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law This material is based upon work supported by the National Agricultural Library, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Music is “Caazapá (Aire Popular Paraguayo)” by Edson Lopes is licensed under CC BY 3.0.

A large coalition of agriculture groups wrote to the Environmental Protection Agency asking it to postpone revocation of chlorpyrifos.

A large coalition of agriculture groups wrote to the Environmental Protection Agency asking it to postpone revocation of chlorpyrifos until it can consider their formal objections to the rule. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://donnyferguson.com/2021/09/21/biden-epa-again-takes-aim-at-farmers-with-science-denying-chlorpyrifos-ban%ef%bf%bc/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/donny-ferguson/message

The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) recent decision to ban the use of Chlorpyrifos in agriculture is a monumental victory for Latino farmworkers, many of whom were forced to handle this toxin on a regular basis to maintain their livelihood. In this episode, we review the history of this struggle, discuss what our victory means for our comunidad, and talk about the next steps we'll need to take to protect workers from this dangerous chemical. We also take the opportunity to reflect on the role of Latino trade unionists in eliminating workplace hazards like Chlorpyrifos and the opportunities and limitations that come with a legal advocacy approach.   Featuring: Iris Figueroa, Farmworker Justice Andrea Delgado, UFW Foundation Raul García, Earthjustice Hosts: Jose Vargas, Executive Director, LCLAA Pablo Stein, Director of Communications and Policy, LCLAA

In this week's episode, we are joined again by Dr. Mark Abney who discusses the EPA's newest action to revoke the use of Chlorpyrifos. Many farmers in Georgia use Chlorpyrifos on their crops to protect against insect pressure. Abney also provides inset management tips.

The Environmental Protection Agency has revoked all tolerances and filed their intent to cancel all registrations for food use of chlorpyrifos. John Sandbakken, Executive Director of the National Sunflower Association, visits with Farm and Ranch Director Sarah Heinrich about what this means for the sunflower industry.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Senate passed infrastructure bill could help water projects in the West, and AFBF president Zippy Duvall is not pleased with the EPA's decision to revoke all tolerance of the pesticide chlorpyrifos.

Georgia's top crops are all forecast for increased production in 2021, and AFBF president Zippy Duvall is not pleased with EPA's decision to revoke all tolerances for pesticide chlorpyrifos.

EPA invalidated all tolerance levels of chlorpyrifos, prohibiting use of the pesticide on food and Bayer filed for U.S. Supreme Court review of the Hardeman Round-Up/glyphosate verdict. Also, a federal court ruled that plant-based company Miyoko's Kitchen may use the term “butter” and USDA announced the Pandemic Market Volatility Assistance Program for dairy producers.   Hosted by Audry Thompson, Research Assistant—With Brook Duer, Staff Attorney—Produced & Written by Audry Thompson   Material from the Agricultural Law Weekly Review—Week Ending August 20, 2021   Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law https://aglaw.psu.edu/  Follow us on Twitter @AgShaleLaw  Like us on Facebook Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law This material is based upon work supported by the National Agricultural Library, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Music is “Caazapá (Aire Popular Paraguayo)” by Edson Lopes is licensed under CC BY 3.0.

EPA to Ban Chlorpyrifos Use on Food Crops

On this episode of Court Radio, Dean Weitzman of MyPhillyLawyer talks about their current lawsuit with B. Braun, where their medical plant has been emitting a known carcinogen in Allentown, and Chlorpyrifos, a chemical used in pesticides that has been linked to developmental harm in children. The post Court Radio: Pesticides Causing Brain Damage in Children? – Your Legal Rights first appeared on MyPhillyLawyer.

with Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen

with Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen

The County of Maui filed a request asking the Hawaii Federal District Court to follow EPA's January 2021 Waters of the United States guidance, arguing there is no need for the county to obtain a Clean Water Act permit. Then, New York finalized its prohibition on chlorpyrifos and twelve trade groups formed the Protein PACT Initiative. Hosted by Audry Thompson, Research Assistant—With Brook Duer, Staff Attorney—Produced & Written by Audry Thompson Material from the Agricultural Law Weekly Review—Week Ending July 23, 2021     Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law https://aglaw.psu.edu/  Follow us on Twitter @AgShaleLaw  Like us on Facebook Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law This material is based upon work supported by the National Agricultural Library, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Music is “Caazapá (Aire Popular Paraguayo)” by Edson Lopes is licensed under CC BY 3.0.

The authors of the book Ending Parkinson's Disease have a campaign at www.endingpd.org to get the U.S. to ban chemicals (like the de-greaser TCE) linked to the rising rates of Parkinson's Disease in US. These doctors are asking us to write the head of the EPA and President Biden to ask them to specifically ban Trichloroethylene (TCE), Paraquat (an agricultural chemical), and Chlorpyrifos, as well as ask for a needed increase in Parkinson's research funding, since rates of the disease keep rising (and these dangerous toxins persist in the air, water, and soil). Will we do something now to perhaps save the youngest generation from getting poisoned? And what are all these chemical toxins doing to the other species, like the wildlife, with whom we share the planet?  "In Tune to Nature" host Carrie Freeman introduces the subject and her personal connection to it and then plays part of an endingpd.org 2020 webcast interview on the risks of the de-greasing solvent TCE (talking to a toxicology researcher and a lawyer with Parkinson's who is an advocate for change). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqYpE5wEPJE  30 minute Podcast. Broadcast on July 14, 2021 on Radio Free Georgia on 89.3FM www.wrfg.org  (a nonprofit, noncommercial progressive radio station that relies upon donations).

The White House is reviewing OSHA’s long-delayed Emergency Temporary Standard and the Ninth Circuit directed EPA to either ban chlorpyrifos use entirely or determine a food residue tolerance that will cause no harm.  Then, multiple federal milk marketing order reform proposals were announced, and producer groups announced they will file emergency USDA hearing petitions.  Also, we catch up on a “lightning round” of several developments from recent weeks.   Hosted by Audry Thompson, Research Assistant—With Brook Duer, Staff Attorney—Produced & Written by Audry Thompson Material from the Agricultural Law Weekly Review—week ending April 23, 2021 and the Agricultural Law Weekly Review—week ending April 30, 2021  Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law https://aglaw.psu.edu/  Follow us on Twitter @AgShaleLaw  Like us on Facebook Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law This material is based upon work supported by the National Agricultural Library, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Music is “Caazapá (Aire Popular Paraguayo)” by Edson Lopes is licensed under CC BY 3.0.

Get the latest agriculture news in today’s Farm City Newsday, hosted by Danielle Leal. Today's show is filled with stories covering a California court giving the EPA a deadline to act on Chlorpyrifos, the anticipated good year as cherry harvest begins, and a study that helps identify the relationship between temperature and ACP movement. Tune in to the show for these news stories, recipes, features and more.

A federal appeals court has given the EPA 60 days to either ban chlorpyrifos or set newer-safer exposure exposure levels, and Border Patrol discovers $82.5 million dollars worth of meth hidden in fresh strawberry shipment from Mexico.

Vitamin A derivative selectively kills liver cancer stem cells  RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Science (Japan), April 23, 2021 Acyclic retinoid, an artificial compound derived from vitamin A, has been found to prevent the recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer. Now, in research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists have discovered that the compound targets one class of cancer stem cells, preventing them from giving rise to new tumors. HCC is a highly lethal cancer, which causes approximately 600,000 deaths each year around the world, making it the second deadliest cancer after non-small cell lung cancer. One of the reasons for the high lethality is that it has a high rate of recurrence—surgery and other treatments are initially effective, but the cancer often relapses. As a result, researchers have looked for ways to prevent recurrence, and acyclic retinoid was recently found to be effective in stopping recurrence of tumors. However, scientists were not sure exactly why it worked. To find clues, a research group led by Soichi Kojima of the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Science looked at the transcriptome of cells that had been exposed to acyclic retinoid, and found that compared to control untreated cells, they had low expression of MYCN, a gene that is often expressed in tumors and is correlated with poor prognosis. Further experiments, which involved deliberately repressing the expression of the gene in cancer cells, showed that the reduction in MYCN expression led functionally to slower cell-cycle progression, proliferation, and colony formation, and to greater cell death, implying that the action of the acyclic retinoid on MYCN was slowing the cancer growth. The group then focused on the role of "cancer stem cells"—special cells that are able to survive the onslaught of chemotherapy or other treatments and to then differentiate into new cancer cells, leading to recurrence. They found, indeed, that high expression of MYCN was correlated with the expression of a number of markers that are associated with cancer stem cells. "The most interesting part of our finding," says Kojima, "is when we then looked at different subpopulations of heterogeneous cancer cells. We found one specific group of EpCAM-positive cancer stem cells, where MYCN was elevated. We wondered if perhaps the key to acyclic retinoid's effect was its ability to target these hepatic cancer stem cells." Indeed, experiments revealed that when exposed to acyclic retinoid, in a dose dependent manner, the EpCAM-positive cells were selectively depleted. To test whether this had clinical significance, they took liver biopsies of patients who had been given acyclic retinoid following liver cancer surgery, and found that in four of the six who had received a higher dosage of 600 mg/d but rather than 300 mg/d, there were decreased levels of MYCN expression, suggesting that MYCN expression in response to acyclic retinoid could be an important part of the difference in recurrence seen in trials. Finally, they looked at data from the Cancer Genome Atlas, and found that elevated expressionof MYCN correlated with dramatically poorer prognosis. According to Kojima, "It is remarkable that the acyclic retinoid clearly targets a certain category of cancer stem cells, and this provides us with important hints for decreasing cancer recurrence and truly curing patients. We are waiting to see what clinical data will show us." A phase 3 clinical trial of acyclic retinoid (also called Peretinoin), is currently underway in Korea, Taiwan and Singapore to test the drug's ability to prevent HCC recurrence.     Light up your mind: A novel light-based treatment for neurodegenerative diseases Researchers review growing knowledge on the methods and applications of light therapy in treating neurodegenerative diseases Soochow University (China), April 2021 A lot about the human brain and its intricacies continues to remain a mystery. With the advancement of neurobiology, the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases (ND) has been uncovered to a certain extent, along with molecular targets around which current therapies revolve. However, while the current treatments offer temporary symptomatic relief and slow down the course of the disease, they do not completely cure the condition and are often accompanied by a myriad of side effects that can impair normal daily functions of the patient. Light stimulation has been proposed as a promising therapeutic alternative for treating various ND like Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), cognitive and sleep disorders. Light therapy consists of controlled exposure to natural daylight or artificial light of specific wavelengths. While neurologists worldwide have begun testing its use in clinical practice, less remains understood about the mechanisms behind how light affects neurological function. Thus, in a review article now published in Chinese Medical Journal, researchers from China comprehensively summarize the growing knowledge on the mechanism of action, effectiveness, and clinical applications of LT in the treatment of ND. Neurologist and author Dr. Chun-Feng Liu explains how their work can advance our understanding of novel emerging therapies for ND. "While light therapy has been investigated in mental and sleep disorders, comprehensive knowledge on its use in neurodegenerative diseases in lacking. We therefore sought to shed light on the potential therapeutic methods and implications of light therapy," he states. Our body function is tuned to a circadian or day and night rhythm. The clock that controls this rhythm is housed in the hypothalamus region of the brain. The genes expressed in this region are crucial in maintaining the circadian rhythm. Thus, a malfunction of these genes can disrupt the rhythmic cycle. These defects have been associated with neurodegenerative, metabolic and sleep disorders. External stimuli such as light, physical activity and food intake can help reset the clock and restore normal circadian rhythms, thus alleviating symptoms. Another mechanism by which the clock controls circadian rhythms is through the secretion of the melatonin (MT) hormone. MT secreted by the pineal gland in the brain is known to control sleep patterns as it is secreted in higher amounts in the night than the day. Light stimulation in this case suppresses the secretion of MT during the day time and thus reduces drowsiness. Interestingly, different tissue and organs in the body may respond differentially to light stimulation. Furthermore, different biomolecules expressed in circulating immune cells and stem cells are sensitive to specific wavelengths of light and thus elicit different responses by promoting the secretion of neurotrophic factors that can rescue neuronal functions. Next, the researchers go on to discuss the application of light stimulation in specific neurodegenerative disorders. In case of AD, a progressive dementia, sleep disturbance has been associated with an increased expression of biomarkers that promote disease progression. Patients with AD often experience confusion, emotional distress and hyperactivity after dusk and through the night. Preliminary clinical studies on AD mouse models as well as patients with AD suggest that light stimulation helps restore memory and cognition and decreases the burden of the pathogenic amyloid-β protein in the brain. Furthermore, LT has been shown to improve sleep quality and duration in patients with sleep disorders while bright environments help reduce anxiety and aggressive behaviors in patients with dementia. In case of PD, patients suffer from motor impairment, tremors and posture imbalance and also display non-motor symptoms such as insomnia, depression and fatigue that can collectively impair their quality of life. While LT has been shown to decrease non-motor symptoms to some extent, evidences on its direct benefits towards motor-function however are limited. The use of LT in other neurodegenerative disorders is currently at preclinical stages and needs to be pursued further. Overall, LT offers a safe and cost-effective alternative for treatment of ND. Additional studies and large scale clinical trials in this direction can help establish its effectiveness as a potential therapeutic strategy. Explaining the long term clinical applications of LT, Dr. Liu says, "The light box or light therapy lamp will help improve the sleep quality of patients with sleep disorders. Light stimulation will also likely have therapeutic effects on neurodegenerative diseases and seasonal depression. Further studies are needed to elucidate its effectiveness." This review not only advances our understanding on how LT functions in resetting the circadian rhythm and associated neurological symptoms but also highlights its applications in routine clinical practice.   Bad to the bone: Hebrew University reveals impact of junk food on kids' skeletal development Study provides first comprehensive analysis for how junk foods impact skeletal development. Hebrew University of Jerusalem, April 19, 2021 A team of researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has proven the linkages between ultra-processed foods and reduced bone quality, unveiling the damage of these foods particularly for younger children in their developing years. The study, led by Professor Efrat Monsonego-Ornan and Dr. Janna Zaretsky from the Department of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition at the University's Faculty of Agriculture, was published in the journal Bone Research and serves as the first comprehensive study of the effect of widely-available food products on skeleton development. Ultra-processed foods--aka, junk food--are food items products that undergo several stages of processing and contain non-dietary ingredients. They're popular with consumers because they are easily accessible, relatively inexpensive and ready to eat straight out of the package. The increasing prevalence of these products around the world has directly contributed to increased obesity and other mental and metabolic impacts on consumers of all ages.  Children tend to like junk food. As much as 70% percent of their caloric consumption are estimated to come from ultra-processed foods. While numerous studies have reflected on the overall negative impact of junk food, few have focused on its direct developmental effects on children, particularly young children. The Hebrew University study provides the first comprehensive analysis for how these foods impact skeletal development. The study surveyed lab rodents whose skeletons were in the post embryonic stages of growth. The rodents that were subjected to ultra-processed foods suffered from growth retardation and their bone strength was adversely affected. Under histological examination, the researchers detected high levels of cartilage buildup in the rodents' growth plates, the "engine" of bone growth. When subjected to additional tests of the rodent cells, the researchers found that the RNA genetic profiles of cartilage cells that had been subjected to junk food were showing characteristics of impaired bone development.  The team then sought to analyze how specific eating habits might impact bone development and replicated this kind of food intake for the rodents. "We divided the rodents' weekly nutritional intake--30% came from a 'controlled' diet, 70% from ultra-processed foods", shared Monsonego-Ornan. They found that the rodents experienced moderate damage to their bone density albeit there were fewer indications of cartilage buildup in their growth plates. "Our conclusion was that even in reduced amounts, the ultra-processed foods can have a definite negative impact on skeletal growth."  These findings are critical because children and adolescents consume these foods on a regular basis to the extent that 50 percent of American kids eat junk food each and every day. Monsonego-Ornan added. "when Carlos Monteiro, one of the world's leading experts on nutrition, said that there is no such thing as a healthy ultra-processed food, he was clearly right. Even if we reduce fats, carbs nitrates and other known harmful substances, these foods still possess their damaging attributes. Every part of the body is prone to this damage and certainly those systems that remain in the critical stages of development."   Results From The World's Largest Wellbeing Study Are In: Here's What We Know South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, April 20, 2021 For decades, researchers have known that positive mental wellbeing seems to deliver significant improvements in physical health, development, and lifespan – which suggests looking after your mind and mental state is one of the most effective ways to care for the rest of your body as well. But what's the best way to actually promote personal mental wellbeing? In a new study led by scientists in Australia, researchers cast a wide net, analyzing data from almost 420 randomized trials employing different kinds of psychological interventions to help improve mental states of wellbeing. The results – a meta-analysis examining data from over 53,000 participants involved in hundreds of psychological experiments – is being billed as the world's largest study of its kind on wellbeing, giving perhaps the most comprehensive overview ever on how interventions can help towards a healthy mind and body. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the myriad hardships it has brought all over the world, new insights on how to successfully bolster mental states are in high demand. "During stressful and uncertain periods in our lives, pro-actively working on our mental health is crucial to help mitigate the risk of mental and physical illness," says mental health researcher Joep Van Agteren from the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI). "Our research suggests there are numerous psychological approaches people should experiment with to determine what works for them." In itself that might seem obvious, but as the researchers point out, up until now our awareness of psychological interventions' relative efficacy has been obstructed, given much research treats mental wellbeing and mental illness as different things, although they are overlapping concepts in some ways. Here, the researchers tried to take a broader view, looking at how a wide range of different types of psychological intervention can benefit mental wellbeing, irrespective of any particular theoretical foundation in psychology. Amongst the many forms of interventions included, two in particular stood out for their consistent associations with positive findings across trial cohorts: mindfulness-based interventions, and multi-component PPIs (positive psychological interventions), which package together a range of treatment methods and activities designed to cultivate positive feelings, behaviors, and thinking patterns. To a lesser extent, other interventions also appeared to deliver benefits, including acceptance and commitment therapy-based interventions, cognitive therapy, singular PPIs, and interventions focusing on reminiscence. While the effect sizes of these interventions are often moderate, the analysis here suggests they are linked with positive improvements in wellbeing in both clinical and non-clinical populations – but there's no quick fix, the researchers emphasize. "Just trying something once or twice isn't enough to have a measurable impact," says co-author Matthew Iasiello, a project coordinator at SAHMRI's Mental Health and Wellbeing program. "Regardless of what method people are trying out, they need to stick at it for weeks and months at a time for it to have a real effect." In their paper, the researchers make the same point in a different way. "Our moderator analysis indicated that improvement in mental wellbeing seems to be related to effort," the team writes. "While the review did not find a clear linear dose-response effect, with more exposure leading simply to better treatment outcomes, the results do indicate that more intense interventions seem to lead to more pronounced changes." Another insight by the researchers is that many kinds of psychological interventions can be done safely in volunteer groups or via online platforms, not requiring clinical appointments with professionals such as psychologists. With mental illness projected to become the largest contributor to disease by 2030, electing to look after yourself with these sorts of activities might not only benefit your own mental wellbeing and health – but the health of the health system too. "It is therefore potentially a cost-effective addition to current referral pathways and treatment methods," says clinical psychologist Michael Kyrios from Flinders University. "We need to take everyone's wellbeing seriously and ensure we're taking the necessary steps to improve mental and physical health so we can prevent future complications for ourselves and keep healthcare costs down." The findings are reported in Nature Human Behaviour.     The Stuff Beer Cans are Made from is Linked to Alzheimer's Disease Keele University (UK), April 15, 2021 There appears to be a troubling link between aluminum in the brain and the early signs of Alzheimer’s Disease, according to a new study. Researchers have known for years that aluminum has something to do with Alzheimer’s, but now Keele University scientists have discovered that the metal pops up at the same places in the brain as the tangles of tau protein that appear in the early stages of the disease, according to research published last month in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease Reports. The discovery suggests that it’s possible that aluminum could even play a role in forming those tangles and plaques — which precede the onset of Alzheimer’s — in the first place. “The presence of these tangles is associated with neuronal cell death, and observations of aluminum in these tangles may highlight a role for aluminum in their formation,” lead study author Matthew Bold said in a press release. That doesn’t mean that you need to ban aluminum cans from your home. Aluminum, perhaps introduced through food or other exposures, is commonly found in healthy brains, according to the Alzheimer’s Society, a dementia-focused charity based in London. But as people age, their kidneys may lose the ability to filter it out of the brain ­— potentially leading to the Alzheimer’s ties uncovered in the new study. “Aluminum accumulation has been associated with Alzheimer’s disease for nearly half a century,” Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease editor-in-chief George Perry said in the release, “but it is the meticulously specific studies of Drs. Mold and Exley that are defining the exact molecular interaction of aluminum and other multivalent metals that may be critical to formation of the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease.”     Drought-resistant cactus pear could become a sustainable food and fuel source, new research shows University of Nevada, April 16, 2021 Cactus pears could become a sustainable source of food and fuel in places in need of these two resources. Those are the findings of a recent study by researchers from the University of Nevada, Reno. Published in the journal GCB Bioenergy, the study covered five years of research. The group had set out to look at how successful different varieties of cactus pear would fare in warm, dry climates. They found that the prickly pear variety (Opuntia ficus-indica) produced the most fruit and used up 80 percent less water than other varieties to do so. With drought and heatwave events becoming more common worldwide, crops like corn and soybean may likely be heavily affected because they require more water than what might be available in the future. People will need to look for alternative crops that require less water, can tolerate droughts and still bear fruits. Cactus pears as sustainable food and fuel source Given current climate trends, the world is poised to get hotter and drier in the future. Therefore, plants that are drought-resistant and able to produce food with little water might soon become major sources of food. According to study co-author John Cushman, about 42 percent of all land on Earth is classified as arid or semi-arid. Therefore, there is enormous potential for planting cactuspears. Doing so has two main benefits. For starters, scientists can grow cactus pears in fields that are far too arid to be suitable for other crops. This increased production would put cactus pears on the map as food. Many cultures worldwide already eat the fruits from cactus pears and even the cactus pads themselves. However, cactus pears and other edible cactus varieties are far from being a major food and forage crop in the United States, let alone around the world. But that is a missed opportunity because cactus pear fruits can be used just like other fruits. They are especially great for making jams because they contain natural sugars. They can also be consumed fresh or pickled once the spines have been removed. They are also great for feeding livestock due to their high water content. The other benefit of utilizing arid fields for the cultivation of cactus pears is carbon sequestration. They capture and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, serving as a land-based carbon “sink.” They can also be harvested and used as raw materials for biofuels to replace fossil fuels. “That’s the benefit of this perennial crop,” explained Cushman. After you have harvested the fruits and pads for food, you will be left with a large amount of biomass that can be used for biofuel production, he said. (Related: Hemp: the versatile biofuel that could save America’s energy independence.) Cushman and his colleagues plan to continue researching cactus pears and their potential as sustainable fuel or foods. They plan to understand what it is about the genetic makeup of cactus pears that makes them so drought-resistant and use that information to make other crops more drought-resistant as well. Scientists have long been interested in the potential of cactus pears to serve as food and fuel. In 2015, a team of researchers from the United Kingdom suggested that water-efficient plants like cacti could be the key to providing sustainable bioenergy for the future. Plants like cacti carry out photosynthesis through a crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) system. They grow on arid and semi-arid land with low or unpredictable rainfall, which can make conventional farming difficult. Arid and semi-arid lands are unproductive. But they can be put to good use by filling them with cacti and many other CAM plants that can capture and store carbon efficiently. The researchers said CAM plants like prickly pear could make a huge contribution to sustainable biogas production this way.   Yeast in kefir drink combats disease-causing bacteria Ben-Gurion University (Israel), April 17, 2021 People may have been producing and drinking kefir, a fermented milk drink that originated in Tibet and the North Caucasus, for thousands of years. People can make the sour, slightly effervescent brew by infusing milk with kefir grains, which are a starchy matrix containing a symbiotic community of lactic acid bacteria, acetic bacteria, and yeasts.  The drink has many reputed health benefits, which include lowering cholesterol, reducing inflammation, and exerting an antioxidant effect.  In common with other probiotics, kefir also has antimicrobial properties. However, scientists were unsure exactly how it inhibits the growth of disease-causing bacteria. Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Be’er Sheva, Israel, have now discovered that a type of yeast in kefir called Kluyveromyces marxianus secretes a molecule that disrupts bacterial communication. Scientists already knew that plants and algae produce this substance, called tryptophol acetate, but this is the first time that they have found a yeast that makes it. They discovered that tryptophol acetate interferes with “quorum sensing” — a form of microbial communication — in several disease-causing bacteria.  In quorum sensingTrusted Source, bacteria release signaling molecules into their surroundings. When the molecules reach a particular concentration, they trigger changes in the expression of genes in bacteria of the same species. These changes allow disease-causing bacteria to coordinate their activity according to their numbers. This coordination is necessary for some bacteria to defend themselves or attack their hosts.  In some cases, when they reach a certain density, the microbes may come together to form a slimy, protective coating, or “biofilm,” on a surface.  Disease-causing bacteria In lab cultures, the researchers found that tryptophol acetate had an inhibitory effect over quorum sensing in several disease-causing bacteria, including some Gram-negativeTrusted Source bacteria. Some of the tested species were: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which causes pneumonia when it infects the lungs.  S. enterica, which is responsible for food poisoning.  Staphylococcus aureus, which can trigger sepsis, among other life threatening infections. V. cholerae, which causes cholera. The research, which Ph.D. student Orit Malka led, appears in the journal BMC Microbiome. “These results are notable, since this is the first demonstration that virulence of human pathogenic bacteria can be mitigated by molecules secreted in probiotic milk products, such as yogurt or kefir,” says senior author Prof. Raz Jelinek. The scientists focused in particular on the effect of tryptophol acetate on V. cholerae. They found that the substance blocked quorum sensing in this bacteria and reduced its virulence. It did this by changing the expression of bacterial genes that control quorum sensing. The researchers write that this kind of interference in bacterial communication may be commonplace in complex environments where many different microorganisms live together, such as in probiotic food or the human gut.   Living near pesticide-treated farms raises risk of childhood brain tumors Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, April 15, 2021 Pregnant women living within 2.5 miles of agricultural lands treated with pesticides have a greater risk of their children developing central nervous system (CNS) tumors, according to a recent study. Published on Wednesday, March 31, in the Environmental Research journal, the study also revealed that the pregnant women did not have to be working in agriculture or in close contact with pesticides for health-harming exposures to occur. Study co-author Christina Lombardi, a public health researcher at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, said there are large numbers of pregnant women and children living close to pesticide-treated farmlands. Both mothers and children could experience adverse health effects from their proximity to those farmlands. The study is not the first to show that pesticide use poses a threat to pregnant women and their children. But it is unique in that it showed the specific pesticides linked to the development of different kinds of CNS tumors. Maternal exposure to pesticides linked to childhood tumors Experts have examined pesticide exposures as risk factors for the development of childhood brain cancers. But they have yet to assess the risk of developing childhood brain cancers from exposure to specific pesticides. (Related: California is going after another dangerous pesticide: Chlorpyrifos has been linked to brain damage.) To that end, Lombardi and her colleagues from the University of California, Los Angeles made use of the California Cancer Registry to identify cases of childhood CNS tumors in children below six years old. Overall, the researchers found 667 cases of CNS tumors in children below six. They matched each one with 20 controls to increase the statistical power of their findings. They then checked pesticide application records from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation‘s (CDPR) Pesticide Use Reporting (PUR) system to determine whether chemicals classified as possible carcinogens were used within 2.5 miles of the mothers’ homes at the time of the children’s births. Results showed that maternal exposure to certain pesticides heightened the risk of certain childhood CNS tumors by 2.5 times, even if the mother was not a farmworker. Pesticides found to increase the risk of childhood CNS tumors include thiophanate- and kresoxim-methyl, chlorothalonil, bromacil, triforine, propiconazole, dimethoate and linuron. Co-author Julia Heck said their findings are more precise than those of previous studies on pesticide exposure, which usually grouped pesticide use into broad categories based on type, such as herbicides or insecticides. Heck added that their results suggest that exposure to specific pesticides may best explain the results of earlier studies that reported a link between broader pesticide types and CNS tumors. Due to the risks that pesticide exposure poses on pregnant women and children, the researchers called for policy interventions to reduce pesticide exposure among people living near farms. “The simplest way to mitigate these risks is by reductions in exposure to pesticides,” said co-author Myles Cockburn. This can be done by restricting harmful practices like aerial spraying and air blast. Exposure to pesticides may also be reduced by promoting farming methods that limit reliance on pesticides.

USDA published a final hemp rule in the Federal Register and signed a MOU with Health and Human Service, granting USDA authority over GE animals.  Meanwhile, EPA granted three RFS waivers, which were immediately stayed by a federal court, and issued a proposed interim registration review decision creating new risk mitigation measures for chlorpyrifos.  Also, Tyson and JBS both settled liabilities in civil antitrust class action cases. Material from the Agricultural Law Weekly Review—week ending January 22, 2021  Hosted by Audry Thompson, Research Assistant—With Brook Duer, Staff Attorney—Produced & Written by Audry Thompson Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law https://aglaw.psu.edu/  Follow us on Twitter @AgShaleLaw  Like us on Facebook Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law This material is based upon work supported by the National Agricultural Library, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Music is “Caazapá (Aire Popular Paraguayo)” by Edson Lopes is licensed under CC BY 3.0.

EPA Report on Chlorpyrifos Expected Soon

EPA Report on Chlorpyrifos Expected Soon

Find out how the Dept. of Agriculture is developing rules to manage the use of chlorpyrifos - a pesticide used in agriculture. Lisa Arkin, Beyond Toxics, and Martha Sonato, PCUN talk about the dangers of chlorpyrifos and the rulemaking process.

USDA announced the Direct Payments Program of CFAP and published a rule revising Genetically Engineered Organism regulations, DOJ issued antitrust clearance to pork producers for hog euthanasia, and three states are suing EPA over PA & NY's Chesapeake Bay TMDL non-compliance.  Also, MD governor Larry Hogan vetoed a bill banning chlorpyrifos and PA governor Tom Wolf requested RFS waivers for the third time.  Hosted by Audry Thompson, Research Assistant with Brook Duer, Staff Attorney Written & Edited by Audry Thompson This material is based upon work supported by the National Agricultural Library, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Music is “Caazapá (Aire Popular Paraguayo)” by Edson Lopes is licensed under CC BY 3.0.  

Last week, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, a Republican, vetoed 38 bills passed in March by the Democratic-majority General Assembly. The governor explained that the economic crash caused by the coronavirus had opened up a massive state budget deficit which made the new proposals– including for increased funding for public schools – suddenly unaffordable. However, at least one of the bills Hogan vetoed had absolutely nothing to do with state funds or the coronavirus. That was Senate Bill 300, which would have outlawed the use of a pesticide called chlorpyrifos that researchers have concluded can cause brain damage in children and kill aquatic life in the Chesapeake Bay and elsewhere. Farmers spray thousands of pounds of chlorpyrifos every year to kill insects that damage corn, fruit trees, and cotton crops. EPA banned the indoor use of the pesticide in 2000, but the Trump Administration in 2017 decided against expanding that protection to farms and other outdoor locations. Dr. Clarence Lam is a public health policy expert at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and a Democratic state senator from Howard County who co-sponsored Maryland's state ban on the insecticide. “I was disappointed by the veto, because I think this is important legislation to help protect our children and those who are growing up in our state from these kinds of neurological disorders,” said Lam. “I think the science is very clear that this chemical is harmful.” The Hogan Administration declined to be interviewed. But the governor signed a letter with the veto that said the law was unnecessary, because the administration imposed regulations in April that will effectively prohibit the chemical's use by the end of 2021. The governor's letter said in part: “Following discussions earlier this year with agricultural leaders, farmers and legislators, the Maryland Department of Agriculture crafted reasonable and responsible regulations to phase out all use of chlorpyrifos.” Ruth Berlin is Executive Director of the Maryland Pesticide Network. She said that Hogan's substitution of weaker regulations for a stronger law banning the pesticide was, in essence, a political trick. It's a way of replacing permanent legal action with temporary rules that the governor can alter or weaken at any time. Hogan's regulations will be administered by a state agency, the Maryland Department of Agriculture, or MDA, that has a mission to promote the agricultural industry, not public health. Over the last quarter century, MDA has opposed every single bill designed to limit or control the use of pesticides, Berlin said. “The truth is, the governor's veto, puts the MDA – which is the fox guarding the hen house,” Berlin said. “So we know that this will turn into pretty much nothing of use because they have a dismal record. Truly.” A spokesman for MDA, Jason Schellhardt, did not dispute Berlin's statement that his agency has opposed all state legislation to control the use of pesticides. But he said in an email: “The department typically would not support legislation that takes regulatory authority away from the science-based review process established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which sets the national standard on pesticide regulations.” Berlin said the chlorpyrifos ban issue will resurface again in the next General Assembly session. “We are going to push for a veto override, and we feel optimistic about those chances,” she said. The chlorpyrifos ban legislation passed the Maryland Senate by a vote of 31 to 14; and the House 94 to 37. Both were above the two-thirds majority that would allow a veto override when the General Assembly reconvenes in January. So…. what's behind all this maneuvering? Much of this is about the politics of regulation. It's also about power of the farm lobby, which – like the modern Republican party -- strongly opposes all laws and rules that might hurt the profits of industry – in this case, farmers or chemical manufacturers. This profit concern was aired by – among others -- Riley Titus, chief lobbyist for a pesticide industry lobbying group called Crop Life America. “Eliminating this product would remove an invaluable tool for farmers and cause future threats to food security here in the state,” Titus said while testifying against Maryland's ban on Chlorpyrifos. “The cost to commodity producers would be impactful.” There is no question that farmers and golf course owners could earn more money if they could spray whatever chemicals they wanted. But it is important to remember there are costs on the other side of the ledger, too: the secret and incalculable costs of lowered IQ's and neurological damage in children whose mothers are exposed to this pesticide by simply strolling through an orchard or eating the wrong fruit while they are pregnant. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mainstreet Politics with State Representative Daniel Bonham (R-The Dalles) offers a window into the politics, procedures and personalities that dominate the Capitol in Salem, OR. Our latest podcast is with Marion County Farmer Brenda Frketich.

In this episode, we will be discussing an expansion of U.S. Customs, the indefinite reopening of the 2019 Cannabidiol comment period, the EPA getting an extension on an adverse renewable fuel ruling, final rule changes to the Honeybee Loss compensation program, and the PA Department of Agriculture seeking input on a potential Chlorpyrifos ban.  Hosted by Audry Thompson with Brook Duer Edited by Erin Lieberman This material is based upon work supported by the National Agricultural Library, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Music is “Caazapá (Aire Popular Paraguayo)” by Edson Lopes is licensed under CC BY 3.0.

We’ve all seen plastic water bottles that advertise themselves as “BPA-free,” but what does that really mean? Agatha and Dr. Greene take a look at some of the synthetic chemicals that commonly show up at home and in our food, including how they affect the human body, and how to avoid them.  Thankfully, our bodies are resilient organisms very well adept at clearing out the things that don’t belong. So even if there is a concern about one of the 85,000 (!) chemicals approved for use within the U.S., there are simple ways to reduce toxic exposures and, chances are, given the right conditions, kids’ bodies are remarkably resilient.    Thanks for listening! We love our listeners! Drop us a line and leave guest suggestions https://bambinifurtuna.com/pages/podcast   or visit us on Social Media! https://www.instagram.com/bambinifurtuna/ https://www.instagram.com/agatharelotaluczo/ https://www.instagram.com/drgreene/   Quotes  “There are nearly 85,000 chemicals currently approved for use in the United States…only a few hundred of them have been reviewed for safety by the EPA.” [00:29] “You don’t have to remember everything about every chemical, just remember to protect what goes in [kids’] mouths, protect what goes on their skin, and the air they’re breathing.” [06:45]   Big Ideas  Information pertaining to a study done that analyzed the presence of chemicals in newborns at birth. [02:19] The three main lines of defense in keeping our bodies free of chemicals. [03:55] A closer look at BPA. [06:55]   Links Study – Chemicals found in Umbilical Cords Study – The Effect of Folate on BPA Levels Study – Levels of Chlorpyrifos in Children Monterey Aquarium Seafood Watch NASA’s Best Air Purifying House Plants

Et af verdens allerfarligste sprøjtemidler bliver nu forbudt. Fra i morgen må det ikke længere sælges hverken herhjemme eller i resten af EU. Stoffet hedder Chlorpyrifos og bruges til at slå insekter ihjel med. Desværre kan det også skade hjernen hos børn. Hør historien om, hvordan det lykkedes for tre stædige forskere og syv internationale medier at få den farlige sprøjtegift forbudt. Medvirkende: Jesper Hyhne og Louise Voller. Tilrettelagt af Charlotte Aagaard. Kontakt redaktionen på jhp@danwatch.dk. Læs mere på www.danwatch.dk

In this episode, we will be discussing the US and China trade agreement, the NY ban on Chlorpyrifos, an Arkansas court blocking the state's meat labeling law, the USA extending the comment period on hemp production rule, and the NRCS looking for public comment on the EQIP rule.   Hosted by Audry Thompson with Brook Duer. Edited by Erin Lieberman This material is based upon work supported by the National Agricultural Library, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Music is “Caazapá (Aire Popular Paraguayo)” by Edson Lopes is licensed under CC BY 3.0.

I slutningen af november offentliggjorde Salling Group og Coop, at de vil stoppe salget af konventionelle dyrkede bananer, så man kun kan købe økologiske bananer. Det sker fordi Salling Group og Coop ikke kunne få garanti for, at bananerne ikke vil indeholde stoffet Chlorpyrifos. Hvad er det for et stof? Og hvilken konsekvens har det for vores banankøb? Søren Nissen taller med Helle Raun Andersen, der er lektor i miljømedicin ved Syddansk Universitet.

Ende der Woche verhandelt die EU über die erneute Zulassung des Insektizids Chlorpyrifos, mit dem Zitrusfrüchte gespritzt werden.Der Artikel zum Nachlesen: https://detektor.fm/politik/zitrusfruechte-mit-chlorpyrifos

Umkämpftes Spritzmittel - Warum Chlorpyrifos der Gesundheit schaden kann / Brustkrebs beim Mann - Selten aber lebensgefährlich / Tod durch Minensprengung? - Warum Schweinswale in der Ostsee sterben / Durchblicker - Gelatinebeben auf dem Rütteltisch.

In our first episode, we're telling a story of Monsanto, the EPA, how our food system got coated with herbicides and pesticides, and what we can promote our own health. In our next episode we'll be talking about the bright side of GMOs and how they have the potential to improve our health. Let us know what you think in the comments, and share the health around

The U.S.-Japan trade deal is now official. But, there are winners and losers, including many important California agricultural commodities. Another widely used pesticide on California's farms will be unavailable beginning in 2020. We have the details. Deadlines are approaching for water agencies throughout California to be in compliance with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. We take a deep dive into SGMA, and what it means for California's farmers. All that, crop reports, the valley weather forecast, and more…on this week's KSTE Farm Hour.

The U.S.-Japan trade deal is now official. But, there are winners and losers, including many important California agricultural commodities. Another widely used pesticide on California’s farms will be unavailable beginning in 2020. We have the details. Deadlines are approaching for water agencies throughout California to be in compliance with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. We take a deep dive into SGMA, and what it means for California’s farmers. All that, crop reports, the valley weather forecast, and more…on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.

Many common agricultural pesticides have been making headlines recently, from the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) reversing a ban on chlorpyrifos to multiple lawsuits in which juries have awarded millions of dollars to individuals who claim glyphosate (Roundup) caused their cancers. In this episode, expert Erik Olson, of the NRDC, explains the health risks and environmental impacts of some of these talked-about farm chemicals and talks to host Lisa Held about current EPA policy related to pesticide regulation.The Farm Report is a Heritage Radio Network show, recorded live on Full Service Radio at the LINE Hotel in Adams Morgan, Washington DC.The Farm Report is powered by Simplecast.

The Farm Stand panel interviews Tara Cook-Littman, environmental activist, who is leading the fight to ban the dangerous neuro-toxin chlorpyrifos in Connecticut. And: Maggie Tebbetts describes her work with urban farm projects in CT. Host: Richard Hill Panel: Guy Beardsley and Chris Ferrio

Puerto Rico Justice Secretary Wanda Vázquez was sworn in as governor after Puerto Rico's Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Pedro Pierluisi's swearing-in last week was unconstitutional. Last week, there was jubilation over the success of the popular movement to force former Governor Ricardo Rosselló out of office. What was the problem with Pierluisi's swearing-in?US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents swept through seven work sites in six cities across Mississippi on Wednesday, arresting approximately 680 people the agency said were undocumented immigrants in what officials said is the largest single-state workplace enforcement action in US history. Workers suspected of being undocumented were rounded up, placed on buses and sent to an ICE facility in Louisiana. In spite of all of the public outcry, the Trump administration continues to attack immigrants in this country.A coalition of 11 health and labor organizations represented by Earthjustice filed a petition on Wednesday in the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, suing the Trump administration over the Environmental Protection Agency's refusal last month to ban chlorpyrifos, a pesticide tied to brain damage in children. What is chlorpyrifos, and how significant and widespread of a problem is this?GUESTS:Dr. Mayra Vélez Serrano — Professor of political science/comparative politics at the University of Puerto Rico.Abel Nunez — Executive director of the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN).Carlos Casteneda — Attorney with The Law Offices of Thomas Esparza Jr. Patti Goldman — Managing attorney of the Earthjustice Northwest Regional Office in Seattle, Washington.

The August 7th, 2019 edition of the Eastern New York Vegetable News covers the following topics: Cover Crop Options for Late Summer (1:28) Plectosporium and Angular Leaf Spot of Cucurbits (5:57) Tomato Caterpillar Pests and a Late Blight Update (14:39) New York State Bill to Eliminate the Use of Chlorpyrifos (22:25) Basil Downy Mildew Management (24:04) Garlic Anthracnose and Bacterial Issues in Onions Grown on Plastic (28:20) Offering Retirement Benefits on the Farm (33:10) Salt Water Flotation Test for Spotted Wing Drosophila (35:08) Farm Labor Housing Update (39:45) Here are links to additional resources mentioned in the episode: Tomato Blight Alerts and Updates: http://usablight.org/ Basil Downy Mildew Dr. Meg McGrath: 631-727-3595 or mtm3@cornell.edu http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/NewsArticles/BasilDowny.html http://blogs.cornell.edu/livegpath/extension/basil-downy-mildew/

Thursday July 25, 2019 EPA Won't Ban Brain Damaging Pesticide Chlorpyrifos

The May 15, 2019 edition of the Eastern New York Vegetable News covers the following topics: Weed Control in Potatoes (1:08) Brassica Flea Beetle Management (8:43) Seedcorn Maggot (13:36) Onion Maggot and Allium Leafminer Management (17:58) Tomato Transplant Disease Prevention and Tomato Stake Disinfection (24:29) Industrial Hemp Update (31:07) Spinach Leafminer Identification and Control (36:16) Here are links to additional resources mentioned in the episode: Brassica Flea Beetle Management Abby Seaman’s Evaluation of Insecticides Allowed for Organic Production Against Crucifer Flea Beetle, 2016 https://academic.oup.com/amt/article/42/1/tsx126/4670916 Elisabeth’s email: eh528@cornell.edu Onion Maggot and Allium Leafminer Management Cornell NEWA Onion Maggot Models: http://newa.cornell.edu/index.php?page=onion-maggot Podcast Episode on Allium Leafminer: https://soundcloud.com/easternnewyorkvegnews/episode-3-allium-leaf-miner NYS Senate Bill to Prohibit Use of Chlorpyrifos: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/s2156/amendment/a Ethan’s email: eg572@cornell.edu Tomato Stake Disinfection http://ipm.uconn.edu/documents/raw2/362/Disinfecting%20Tomato%20Stakes.pdf Teresa’s email: tr28@cornell.edu Industrial Hemp Update New York Department of Agriculture and Markets Industrial Hemp Grower Application: https://www.agriculture.ny.gov/pi/Hemp_Grower_Application.pdf More hemp resources from Ag and Markets: https://www.agriculture.ny.gov/pi/pihome.html Cornell Hemp Resources: https://hemp.cals.cornell.edu/ Maire’s email: mru2@cornell.edu

California will be phasing out the use of an agricultural chemical that many of the state's farmers rely on: it's the insecticide, Chlorpyrifos. We have the details. Virulent Newcastle Disease is growing in southern california, threatening the area's poultry industry. Now, it has spread to Arizona. We have tips for protecting northern california flocks. And we delve into the world of pet food. Is California and the rest of the US pet food production industry set for a huge expansion internationally? We have that report. All that the latest crop progress, and more, on this week's KSTE Farm Hour.

California will be phasing out the use of an agricultural chemical that many of the state’s farmers rely on: it’s the insecticide, Chlorpyrifos. We have the details. Virulent Newcastle Disease is growing in southern california, threatening the area’s poultry industry. Now, it has spread to Arizona. We have tips for protecting northern california flocks. And we delve into the world of pet food. Is California and the rest of the US pet food production industry set for a huge expansion internationally? We have that report. All that the latest crop progress, and more, on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.

California will be phasing out the use of an agricultural chemical that many of the state’s farmers rely on: it’s the insecticide, Chlorpyrifos. We have the details. Virulent Newcastle Disease is growing in southern california, threatening the area’s poultry industry. Now, it has spread to Arizona. We have tips for protecting northern california flocks. And we delve into the world of pet food. Is California and the rest of the US pet food production industry set for a huge expansion internationally? We have that report. All that the latest crop progress, and more, on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.

On this week's episode of Versus Trump, Jason and Charlie speak with Earthjustice Vice President Drew Caputo to get an update on environmental litigation against the Trump Administration. They start the conversation by talking about Earthjustice's work and about why the organization has 105 cases—and counting—against the Trump Administration. They then dive into a few specific cases Earthjustice is working on: litigation regarding Trump's removal of land from two national momuments in Utah (now pending); regarding the Administration's decision to take Grizzly Bears off the endangered species list (pending, but Earthjustice received a TRO blocking the legal hunting of the bears); and regarding the Administration's decision not to ban the pesticide Chlorpyrifos (a decision the Ninth Circuit recently reversed). They then talk about big picture themes and wonder why the EPA's decisions have been so vulnerable to legal challenge and why, in Drew's view, the agency has been so captured by industry.You can find us at @VersusTrumpPod on twitter, or send us an email at versustrumppodcast@gmail.com. You can buy t-shirts and other goods with our super-cool logo here. NotesYou can read about all of Earthjustice's lawsuits here. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

*CAUTION* I am mispronouncing some of these words terrible as hell so bare with me /. Beware of potential pesticides on food like Glyphosate, chlorpyrifos and more. Articles presented in the podcast are : “What you need to know about Chlorpyrifos and Other Pesticides” website: https://nutritiouslife.com/live-consciously/pesticides-chlorpyrifos-glyphosate-information/. “Jury Awards $289 million in damages after man says he got terminal cancer from Monsanto’s roundup weed killer”- https://myfox8.com/2018/08/10/jury-awards-289-million-in-damages-after-man-says-he-got-terminal-cancer-from-monsantos-roundup-weedkiller/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theamberdaily/support

For several years, environmental advocacy groups have been fighting to ban the pesticide chlorpyrifos from agricultural use. A turnover in leadership at the EPA has led to a moment of indecision on what to do about the chemical. Robert Sapolsky is a neuroscientist who’s spent a long time assisting in the legal battle against chlorpyrifos. We discussed the devastating effects of chlorpyrifos on an exposed nervous system as well as his work to discredit the industry science claiming its safety.

Jim Goetz Chantea Goetz Dr. Mike Brandon How Do I Boost My Testosterone? Jim Goetz There are ways to boost ones testosterone and ways not to. The most common ways individuals (mostly males) look to boost their testosterone; in actuality has no effect on boosting any testosterone but is phenomenal in lowering ones bank account. This is through supplementation. Before taking any supplement, if you are tested in any athletics, ensure you are well within the World Anti- Doping Association (WADA) regulations. If you are a teenager or individual in their 20's, your testosterone levels are already most likely super high. A secretagogue supplement purchased over the counter is not going to raise your levels anymore than they already are. The only thing that can happen if you increase testosterone levels when they are already super high is to shut down your body's own natural production and as a result, make you reliant on exogenous testosterone for the remainder of your life. It sounds fine now but when you are a 40 year old male whose physiology is that of a 90 year old- you may reconsider this as being a good idea. The hype of advertising for these supplements is insane. Know fact versus hype.  There are a crapton of supplements on the market that make claims to boost ones testosterone. In reality these overhyped and over marketed supplements are garbage. They have inferior ingredients that fail to stimulate the natural production of testosterone. First lets do a brief overview on total testosterone levels to get a bit of an understanding on what is being looked at to be increased. Tightly bound testosterone- 2/3 of testosterone is bound to sex hormone binding globulin. The human body is incapable of utilizing this. Loosley bound testosterone- 1/3 of testosterone is bound to the protein, albumin. Some of this testosterone is able to be utilized but not all of it. Free testosterone- 1% to 4% of testosterone floats freely in the blood, able to bind to androgen receptors as the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase converts this free testosterone into hihydrotestosterone, which is a very potent androgen. Some nutritional supplements inhibit CYP19A1, which is an aromatase enzyme. An anti- aromatase actually can act as a testosterone booster in men as testosterone is converted to estradiol, which is then converted to estrogen. Yes, the more testosterone men have, the more estrogen they have and this goes for women as well.  Now men actually do need estrogen (in lesser amounts than women). So when estradiol is low, testosterone is naturally increased. Therefore, if an individual were to lower their estradiol levels, testosterone will be increased. This is a negative feedback loop of hormones. However, in pre-menopausal women, as ovaries produce the majority of estrogen, aromatase inhibitors are less effective (but not ineffective) than in men. Some supplements that are supposed to increase testosterone act on the testicles. Others act on the hypothalamus in the brain. Those that act on the testicles could effect HPTA stimulation (causing testicular atrophy (or shrinkage). Other supplements acting on the hypothalamus cause symptoms of that some may call adrenal fatigue. The most boring ways to increase testosterone are quality sleep (and I do stress quality), moderate physical activity, and weight management. Individuals who stay up too late to watch a game while they rise early in the morning, work a desk job, have a little belly (dad bods or more) and fail to engage in moderate physical exertion for a minimum of three days per week at 30-45 minutes of actual movement, are destined for low testosterone levels and as a result, a lowered quality of life and perhaps lower life expectancy. Lowered testosterone levels have been attributed to lowered libidos, the development of metabolic syndrome- x, and depression (to name a few symptoms). Middle aged and older men have a natural decline in testosterone by 0.4% to 1.6% per year. Some experience lower than average testosterone levels as young as 30. This is why anti-aging therapies have become so important to increase vitality and longevity in individuals. What's the point of living if ones quality of life sucks? Contrary to popular belief, there is no single one best level of testosterone! Different lab results vary as a wide range of free testosterone levels are used between different labs. An example of this is one male was tested at 360 ng/dL. He is lethargic, depressed and cannot seem to lose an ounce of body fat. Another male was tested at the same testosterone level. This individual is confident, successful, full of energy and looks like an adonis.  A few supplements have been shown to increase testosterone. But before they are disclosed, there is a caveat on them. As previously discussed in a podcast, there is a bell curve of optimal levels. Too little of these levels in your body and you will greatly benefit from a supplement. Too high levels of these in your body and the supplement will begin to give adverse effects. The first supplement is vitamin D. Yep, good ol' sunshine. Vitamin D is essential for the development and creation of a multitude of hormones to include testosterone. Enough research has been done to back this up. The second supplement deficiency is zinc. Zinc is lost through sweat so athletes may need to get their levels of zinc checked to see if a supplement may be beneficial to improve testosterone levels. Zinc rich foods include meat, some grains (whole new caveat on how grains are linked to cancer development) and nuts (stick with walnuts and almonds to avoid the excess lectethins or heavy metals). Another supplement is magnesium. In the United States, it is understood most are deficient in this vital mineral. Magnesium both directly and indirectly aids in the conversion of vitamin D into it's active form to be used in the body. Like zinc, magnesium is lost through sweat. A favorite food of this authors that contains a plethora of bioavailable zinc is 100% cacao. If taking a magnesium supplement, one should avoid magnesium oxide, which is only bioavailable at a rate of 4% in humans.  Maca is marketed to increase testosterone. However, maca has been shown to increase libido but not testosterone. Be wary that just because one is in the mood more than usual does not mean that one has higher testosterone levels. The same may be said about horny goat weed. A good form may over time improve sexual desire but has no effect on testosterone levels. D- aspartic acid had some prelimiary research showing increased testosterone levels. However, further studies have showed the opposite of it not effecting testosterone levels whatsoever. DHEA is a hormone that converts directly to testosterone. Individuals with low levels of both have shown an increase with DHEA supplementation. Pregnenolone, which is synthesized from cholesterol, provides a building block for many of the steroids present in your body. Athletes may take this hormone to hide their use of anabolic steroids. However, as this does convert directly to DHEA; some studies have shown increased testosterone and estrogen levels in both deficient males and females. Some pure forms of tribulus such as the original Tribestan might actually have increased testosterone. Unfortunately most of the stuff on the market today is garbage. If you can put it on your fingers and simply blow it off like a powder, it's either not tribulus or it's a terrible form. It should be a tar-like consistency made from the root, not the leaves of the plant.   HOW TO DETERMINE HIGH QUALITY TRIBULUS There's a plethora of other ingredients that are thought to increase testosterone. There's not enough human research on some SARMS such as RAD-140 (testabol) When it comes down to it, plenty of rest, adequate nutrition, moderate exercise and a way to decompress stress and testosterone levels will raise up. During your middle aged years, you may consider seeing an anti-aging specialist to ensure your testosterone levels are where they give you the greatest out of life.   How to Wash Fruits and Vegetables to Rid Them of Neurotoxins   Dr. Mike Brandon ​Jokes have been made about what clean eating is, and how the simplest answer is that it's when you wash you food before you eat it. All kidding aside, especially when it comes to produce, this is a highly suggested action with the justifications mainly being to remove dirt, pesticides, and bacteria. With one quick internet search, multiple sources will say to lightly rub the produce under cold water for 30 to 60 seconds. What's interesting to me is how to wash your hands for that result, it's suggested to do it vigorously for about double that time. So either we should have our hands more clean than the produce we eat, or there's a fallacy or assumption somewhere here. ​ Multiple studies on both washing our hands and washing produce show that most of the cleaning aspect of the process is from the friction of rubbing the dirt and grime away more than the soap use. With produce, using most soaps can actually add a small residue layer on the produce, or even have the soap seep into the flesh of the fruit/vegetable, so this practice is discouraged and you are probably better off rubbing vigorously with running water. Naturally this wont work for all produce, as you can only rub berries so hard before it turns into juice. A larger concern over dirt and grime on our food supply is the pesticides and herbicides that are sprayed on them. These are the only toxic substances released intentionally into our environment and they have the sole purpose of killing living things. There are over 15 common pesticides used, and it is almost never just 1. These sprays are very well known to be neurotoxins and have been linked to Parkinson's disease, asthma, cancers, leukemia, thyroid and infertility complications, and autism, to just name a few. These neurotoxins also appear to destroy many of the antioxidants in produce, as seen by the difference in content of organic vs standard produce.  The most common reason as to why people switch to organic is to avoid these pesticides, but unfortunately, they are still there, but about 70% less. This can occur due to wind and water runoff from 1 farm to the next, or from the soil itself. These neurotoxins absorb into the soil, and many have a half life of 4 to 5 years. So even if no sprays have been used for 10 years on the soil, they could still be being absorbed into the vegetation. So what can we do to limit the amount of toxins we digest from trying to be healthy by eating our fruits and veges? A study was done comparing the ability of tap water, a Clorox bleach solution (which is the industrial standard to wash produce before going to the stores), and a soak in baking soda for 12 to 15 minutes to remove pesticides. This study looked at 2 common pesticides, thiabendazole and phosmet.  Baking soda did appear to clean off the majority of both of these pesticides, especially compared to the other methods which is great news, but it comes with a few catches and precautions. First of all, it did not remove what was absorbed into the peels of the fruit, and assuming, if pesticides go into the peel, its likely going into the flesh as well. Also in this study they took organic fruit and then sprayed it down with thiabendazole and phosmet, which is a decent method to try to replicate a farm, however, if these apples were sprayed in the study a few hours or even days before the cleaning process, how much more is absorbed or harder to remove from produce that was sprayed weeks prior before it even made it to the grocery shelf?  Even with the forward movement towards more organic food, there are still a few scary statistics that show the extent of this public health issue. Chlorpyrifos, which are in the same pesticide family as organophosphates and has the same neural damaging mechanism as nerve gases used in the military, is found in the urine of 93% of Americans! It's estimated that only 1 out of every 10 Americans eat enough produce, which can make this a little more alarming that either we are getting them in our bodies from another source, or the little bit that we eat is still being absorbed and metabolized by us. Then DDT, which is a pesticide that was banned in the 1970's, was found in 99% of Americans. It's illegal to use and is still getting into literally almost all of us. So since we are still getting these toxins in our body, what is there being done to help off set this? There's actually quite a few alternatives to pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, etc, but the difficult part is getting the large farms to jump in with it. Smaller farms in the USA, and most farms outside of the country use a few methods which are cost effective and work. Polycutlure is one method that is used quite frequently. Basically how many home gardens have multiple types of produce in 1 area, that's the concept but on a large scale. Instead of having acres of corn, it would be acres of corn, cucumbers, broccoli, etc. Having multiple types of plants together has been shown to both decrease many pests that only target 1 food, as well as increase the overall immunity of plants to deter more pests and make sprays less required. Trip crops, or sacrificial crops, is another method. Think of a child that is staring at a plate of broccoli and a bowl of icecream; most children will go for the ice cream. That's the concept. Putting “ice cream” type crops in the field to attract the pests away from the yielding plants. Examples are: Nasturtiums  distract aphids (black fly, green fly, white fly). French Marigold helps to attract slugs, thrips and nematodes. Radish  attracts flea beetle and root fly. Then there is also Entomopathogenic fungi, which are parasitic to most insects. The spores will attach to the majority of insect kind, and rather rapidly kill them off and has appeared to be effective in drastically lowering the procreation rate of bugs.  Obviously going organic and washing our produce effectively is better than not at all, and is recommended, however, the environmental and physiological impacts are still a major concern, but at least there are a few methods we can use to help lower the amount of “-icides” that our body absorbs. biohackhumans.com   Find us: Instagram (@biohackhumans)  Facebook (@biohackhumans) Twitter (@biohackhumans) Tumblr (@biohackhumans)   Contact Us: support@biohackhumans.com

After years of exhaustive research linking the pesticide chlorpyrifos to a host of developmental and cognitive deficiencies in children, the EPA was poised to ban the chemical in November 2016. But something else happened that same month; the election of Donald Trump. As a result, this potent neurotoxin is still in use. Miriam Rotkin-Ellman is a senior scientist for the Natural Resources Defense Council, which is still fighting for a ban.

Graham Elwood talks about the news and events that the corporate media won't cover.    Episode Timecodes:   00:00 - 10:50 Graham discusses the hypocrisy of the US for See Ria.   https://www.veteranstoday.com/2018/04/15/saudi-arabia-used-chemical-weapons-in-yemen-whos-going-to-bomb-them/   10:50 - 20:26 Graham shows the corruption of the Clinton Foundation and Hillary’s State Department.   http://www.ibtimes.com/clinton-foundation-donors-got-weapons-deals-hillary-clintons-state-department-1934187   20:26 - 29:25 Graham discusses how sad the US journalists are and a bunch of kiss-asses.   https://theintercept.com/2018/05/01/ten-journalists-were-just-killed-in-afghanistan-please-stfu-about-the-white-house-correspondents-dinner/   29:25 - 39:14 Graham shows how every country that dropped the US dollar gets invaded.   https://www.truthdig.com/articles/i-know-which-country-the-u-s-will-invade-next/     39:14 - 46:31 Graham discusses how the corporate media is telling you that the economy is great!   https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/economy/2018/05/04/pros-cons-unemployment-below-4-percent/580633002/   46:32 - 52:17 Graham discusses how the state of Hawaii just banned the use of Chlorpyrifos.   https://www.ecowatch.com/hawaii-ban-pesticides-chlorpyrifos-2565244742.html     52:17 - 1:00:41   Graham goes over a new poll in USA Today showing how much American want a third party.     https://ivn.us/2018/04/26/usa-today-nearly-two-thirds-americans-given-up-political-parties/   1:00:42 - 1:10:00 Graham shows how medieval peasants had more vacation days than the average US worker.   http://www.businessinsider.com/american-worker-less-vacation-medieval-peasant-2016-11     1:10:27-1:18:30 Graham shows how Marx predicted the ways in which capitalism would crumble from 160 years ago.   https://qz.com/1269525/capitalism-is-unfolding-exactly-as-karl-marx-predicted/  

Did you know that chlorpyrifos, produced by Dow chemical,  is the most widely used insecticide globally? Commonly known as Durzban, this particular pesticide causes nerve damage in children. Prenatal exposure predicts ADHD, lower IQ, and creates an increase in children with “special needs,” putting a burden on schools and society. Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Dana Boyd Barr, Ph.D., Research professor at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. https://www.sph.emory.edu/faculty/profile/#!DBBARR  Dr. Barr describes her research on pesticide exposure and  damage to the neurodevelopment of children, and the political difficulty in banning chlorpyrifos. For more information on chlorpyrifos see: http://www.panna.org/resources/chlorpyrifos-facts and beyondpesticides.org Related website:  http://leaderlaboratory.org/about.html

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We review the latest on the rash of wildfires in Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino counties, and celebrate the reopening of the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge on Hwy 1, destroyed after wildfires and landslides struck Big Sur. Plus headlines, a calendar of events and more.

Counties, including Sacramento County… cities, such as Folsom and Elk Grove…indian tribes and fishing organizations… they're just a few of the 58 groups that have filed suit against the state of California, to stop the Delta Tunnels project. History, though, is not on their side. We have the details. The state's Department of Pesticide Regulation is set to institute further restrictions on the use of a widely used farm pesticide, Chlorpyrifos. There's a huge Japanese Beetle infestation in Oregon. Should California's farmers and nursery industry be concerned? And we talk about what Bayer CropScience is doing to help California's ag industry grow crops more sustainably. All that, crop reports, and more…on this week's KSTE Farm Hour.

Counties, including Sacramento County… cities, such as Folsom and Elk Grove…indian tribes and fishing organizations… they’re just a few of the 58 groups that have filed suit against the state of California, to stop the Delta Tunnels project. History, though, is not on their side. We have the details. The state’s Department of Pesticide Regulation is set to institute further restrictions on the use of a widely used farm pesticide, Chlorpyrifos. There’s a huge Japanese Beetle infestation in Oregon. Should California’s farmers and nursery industry be concerned? And we talk about what Bayer CropScience is doing to help California’s ag industry grow crops more sustainably. All that, crop reports, and more…on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.

“We need to base our farming on biology, not on chemicals,” says Dr Meriel Watts. “New Zealand needs to WAKE UP to what is going on in conventional farming in this country.” “Our food is denatured through chemical use, and New Zealand, compared to the rest of the world, lacks the political will to address this.” Educating the New Zealand Public New Zealand needs to face up to the widespread use of chemicals that are applied in agriculture, either topically or coated on seeds, and how the chemicals affect our food and therefore our health. There is a toxic plethora of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, along with artificial fertilisers that make chemical companies masses of money, but are not to the benefit of us, the consumers. One might think that a so called clean green country, like New Zealand, would be keen to show itself as just that, but instead we apply toxic chemical after toxic chemical all over the country. In one evening meal, that is not organic, you could be consuming as many as 17 different agro - chemicals in small quantities. Research on how they all work together has not been done. New Zealand’s chemical assessments are not being based on science. Encouraging the NZ Government to involve itself in a Global Awareness Movement    The Formal UN Recommended Organisation SAICM- (Strategic Approach to International Chemical Management) states that highly hazardous pesticides be phased out and replaced by agro-ecology. (Agro-ecology is known as organics in NZ.) However, although 170 countries are involved and send delegates to the meetings, incredibly New Zealand has not chosen to be involved, and seems unaware of the serious repercussions of chemical use.  Meriel states that the heads of the Departments for the Environment, Health and Agriculture (Primary Industries) need to attend to learn, and realise the critical situation that NZ is in. Where is the powerful influence that keeps the toxic chemicals in use? Here’s an example from the US. Dow Chemicals has given a million dollars for Donald Trump’s campaign fund. Dow are makers of Chlorpyrifos. This pesticide has been banned by Sri Lanka and Yemen and US scientists have identified it as a major concern, but of course after that donation, the hopes of getting it banned in the US have been dashed. A New Chemical that has Shown Up on the NZ Market! In New Zealand we are unsure of the influence by companies like Dow. However the pesticide Chlorpyrifos is used here in New Zealand. There is not much political will to ban it, and although home gardeners are not allowed to use it, the government still allows its use on farms, and by commercial gardeners. Children are especially at risk. Chlorpyrifos is an acute nerve toxin and suspected endocrine disruptor that has been linked to numerous health issues. It has been found in human cord blood and is known to cause foetal damage and neuro-developmental disorders.  Most recently, it has been linked to an increased risk of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children. Chlorpyrifos is found at particularly high levels in children. It is prevalent in fruit and vegetables; also in dairy products, nuts, cottonseed, wheat and wheat-based products such as bread and pasta, rice, maize, chickpeas, fish, muesli, jam, olive oil, pizza, hamburgers, raisins; also soft drinks and drinking water. HAVE YOU EVEN HEARD OF CHLORPYRIFOS? Before this interview, I hadn’t. How do NZers have their Elected Servants in Government,Take Heed of Ubiquitous Chemicals? So why does our government lack the political will to put a ban on chemicals like chlorpyrifos, glyphosate / Roundup, 1080, and the bee threat neonicitinoids? Agriculture is the largest sector of the tradable economy in New Zealand. This means that farmers have a strong voice around decisions made that affect them. They and the large chemical trans-nationals will undoubtedly have influence regarding decisions made, that could affect them. However we the public need to have a voice about what affects us – namely some very toxic chemicals. NZ’s Government Department NIWA , the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, tested the water of Auckland harbour and were very concerned at the level of glyphosate in the water - Yet the Government is ignoring the aquatic environment. The Soils are a Barometer to Healthy Food, Animals & People “Our soils are sick from greed-based, irresponsible agricultural practices, pesticides, chemical fertilisers, erosion and mineral depletion, all of which stop or reduce adequate microbial activity in the soil, rendering them sick and/or dead and sterile. Sick soils make for sick plants and sick plants make for sick humans and animals.,” Says the president of the US National Health Federation, Scott Tips. If the soil is poor, not enough micro-organisms are taken up into the plant. So we are replacing nourishment with chemicals. The answer to growing good strong healthy plants that do not need chemical assistance, lies in the soil. We cannot put the entire blame on farmers, says Meriel. The whole approach to pesticides has to change, from home gardeners, to household use as well as farm use. We can’t very well demand farmers change without stopping using fly spray, for example. Fly spray is made with synthetic pyrethrum and is carcinogenic. The level of cancer is soaring around the world and yet we are not informed about agricultural and industrial chemical use, and its effect on human health. New Zealand is between 10 & 20 Years Behind - When we Need to be Ahead! New Zealand is, in Muriel's opinion, between 10 and 20 years behind in understanding the side effects of pesticide use. This is unacceptable. She challenges which ever government is in power to create a caring state and ensure the health of all people throughout the country. One main way to do this is to walk away from the chemical cocktail that affects us all. Dr Meriel Watts had a Bachelor of Agricultural Science and a PhD in risk assessment of pesticides and the consequences of its flaws for pesticide policy. She has been working on behalf of civil society for 27 years on pesticide issues and safer alternatives – including for Greenpeace and the Soil & Health Association. Now she works (since 1993) for Pesticide Action Network (PAN), a global network of about 600 civil society organisations in 90 countries – coordinate PAN Aotearoa NZ, Senior Technical Advisor to PAN Asia Pacific, the regional centre in Malaysia, and represents the global network at UN chemicals conventions, agreements and technical groups. Meriel has been involved in NZ’s organics sector for about 24 years – including helping to establish and run Organic Farm NZ – a low-cost certification scheme for growers supplying only the domestic market. Together with her partner, she runs a certified organic farm, on Waiheke Island, supplying locals with fresh fruit, vegetables, eggs and olive oil. Author of 5 books on pesticides, Meriel has contributed to numerous other publications including monographs e.g. on both the glyphosate and  chlorpyrifos, act. Her most recent book = Replacing Chemicals with Biology – Phasing out Highly Hazardous Pesticides with Agro-ecology -  is about why we need to phase out chemical pesticides. That successful growing without pesticides is possible and is now being proved globally and what policy changes are needed to get us there. The websites mentioned in the interview: Replacing Chemicals with Biology: Phasing out Highly Hazardous Pesticides with Agroecology:  http://pan-international.org/resources/ and UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, report on pesticides to UN human Rights Council, A/HRC/34/48: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Food/Pages/Annual.aspx Also of interest may be: PAN International List of Highly Hazardous Pesticides: http://pan-international.org/resources/ PAN International Consolidated List of Ban Pesticides: http://pan-international.org/resources/ PAN International Monograph on Glyphosate: http://pan-international.org/resources/ ------------------------------------ This interview was sponsored by The Awareness Party

This episode is recorded on the road as Dom travels with local community group, Safe Ag Safe Schools (SASS), to Sacramento to join organizations from all over California to call for the ban of the pesticide, chlorpyrifos.  Chlorpyrifos was on the brink of being banned across the United States by the EPA under the Obama Administration.  However, with the new administration in power, the use of chlorpyrifos is still being allowed.  Hear from SASS organizer Lucia Calderon, co-director Mark Weller, and many of the local activists that came from Salinas, Watsonville, Greenfield, and Santa Cruz to join a demonstration of 250+ people in our state capital.  Listen in and learn about a group that is working to make our local community safer.

It's the first podcasting episode of 2017! Matt and Erin talk briefly about a few topics related to insecticides today. First, Erin recaps the findings of her insecticide resistance project from 2016. A field sprayed twice with a pyrethroid (bifenthrin) did not have efficacy against soybean aphid. She conducted an assay and discovered elevated resistance ratios for bifenthrin and lambda-cyhalothrin. Distinguishing insecticide group will become important for future growing seasons so farmers can prolong the efficacy of pyrethroids and organophosphates. Learn more about insecticide groups and resistance management at the IRAC website. Matt shared updates on pending EPA approvals of existing insecticides. Chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate, had an open comment period that closed January 17, 2017; read more about the health risk assessment for chlorpyrifos. In addition, the EPA has four public comment dockets open now regarding pollinator-only risk assessments for the neonicotinoid insecticides clothianidin, thiamethoxam, and dinotefuran.  Erin and Matt are speaking at the ISU Crop Advantage Series this month. Find locations and registration details here. Erin is also speaking on a resistance management panel at the 2017 Iowa Soybean Research Conference on February 8, 2017.  Watch an IRAC video on how insecticide resistance happens!

In this week's segment of The Neonicotinoid View, host June Stoyer and Tom Theobald continue the discussion about the New Zealand Study on Chlorpyrifos, unsettling news about the German population contamination due to glyphosate, scientific integrity policy reform, neonics in building materials and Illinois ban on neonics! Stay tuned!  “The Neonicotinoid View”, which is produced by The Organic View Radio Show is unique, weekly program that explores the impact of neonicotinoids on the environment. Tune in each week as June and Tom explore the latest research and news from the beekeeping community. Today's show is sponsored by Eden Foods the most trusted name in certified organic clean food! When you shop online at EdenFoods.com enter the coupon code “ORGVIEW” to receive 20% OFF any regularly priced items (excluding cases). For other promotional offers, please visit TheOrganicView.com's website. Do you like FREE stuff? Tune in to The Organic View Radio Show, Monday through Friday @6pm Eastern and visit our contest section at www.theorganicview.com/contests to win one of our monthly prizes!

Today, Matt and Erin talk about the recent EPA proposal to revoke all tolerances to chlorpyrifos. This insecticide is an option in corn and soybean in Iowa and restricting or removing the use could have potential implications for field crop pest management. Matt shares a paper that shows a decrease of chlorpyrifos in corn but relatively steady use in soybean (doi:10.1088/1748-9326/10/9/094016). He isn't sure if revoking the use would have an immediate impact, but Erin offers a Coke analogy to say otherwise. To learn more about the EPA proposal and leave a comment, go here: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-11-06/pdf/2015-28083.pdf. 

Is your children's schoolyard routinely sprayed with pesticides? How safe your children are might depend on where you live. Today we hear about how and why one pesticide has been banned for household use, but affects the health of farmworkers and their children. Children's health is especially fragile–so why aren't we protecting them?   This program received funding from the Fund for Investigative Journalism. Featuring:   Kim Harley, Center for Environmental Research in Children's Health associate director; Isabel Arrollo, El Quinto Sol de America organizer; Jennifer Sass, Natural Resources Defense Council senior scientist; Tracey Brieger, Californians for Pesticide Reform co-director; Marina Gomez, Brian Jimenez-Gomez, CHAMACOS research participants; Margaret Reeves, Pesticide Action Network senior scientist; Valerie Bengal, family physician and UC San Francisco clinical professor; Brett Knupfer, Ohlone Elementary School principal; Marcy Mock, Ohlone special education teacher; Casimira Salazar, Ohlone migrant education teacher; Cynthia Fernandez, Ohlone 2nd grade teacher; Brett McFadden, Pajaro Valley Unified School District chief business officer; Mary Ellen Kustin, Environmental Working Group policy analyst. For More information: CHAMACOS (Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas) study   El Quinto Sol de America  Californians for Pesticide Reform Pesticide Action Network North America National Resources Defense Council Fund for Investigative Journalism Resources and reports: California pesticide use reporting “Agricultural Pesticide Use Near Public Schools in California,” Apr. 2014, California Environmental Health Tracking Program Ohlone School pesticide monitoring news, Sept. 2013 Integrated pest management of citrus, University of California, Riverside Coalition letter to California Department of Pesticide Regulation, Jan. 2014 “Chlorpyrifos Preliminary Human Health Risk Assessment,” Jun. 2011, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency “Evidence on the Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity of Chlorpyrifos,” Sept. 2008, California Environmental Protection Agency Chlorpyrifos health effects, Apr. 2012, U.S. EPA's Scientific Advisory Panel Human oral toxicity study for chlorpyrifos, Kisicki et al 1999   The post Making Contact – Pesticides on the Playground appeared first on KPFA.

It's the first podcasting episode of 2017! Matt and Erin talk briefly about a few topics related to insecticides today. First, Erin recaps the findings of her insecticide resistance project from 2016. A field sprayed twice with a pyrethroid (bifenthrin) did not have efficacy against soybean aphid. She conducted an assay and discovered elevated resistance ratios for bifenthrin and lambda-cyhalothrin. Distinguishing insecticide group will become important for future growing seasons so farmers can prolong the efficacy of pyrethroids and organophosphates. Learn more about insecticide groups and resistance management at the IRAC website. Matt shared updates on pending EPA approvals of existing insecticides. Chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate, had an open comment period that closed January 17, 2017; read more about the health risk assessment for chlorpyrifos. In addition, the EPA has four public comment dockets open now regarding pollinator-only risk assessments for the neonicotinoid insecticides clothianidin, thiamethoxam, and dinotefuran.  Erin and Matt are speaking at the ISU Crop Advantage Series this month. Find locations and registration details here. Erin is also speaking on a resistance management panel at the 2017 Iowa Soybean Research Conference on February 8, 2017. Watch an IRAC video on how insecticide resistance happens!

Today, Matt and Erin talk about the recent EPA proposal to revoke all tolerances to chlorpyrifos. This insecticide is an option in corn and soybean in Iowa and restricting or removing the use could have potential implications for field crop pest management. Matt shares a paper that shows a decrease of chlorpyrifos in corn but relatively steady use in soybean (doi:10.1088/1748-9326/10/9/094016). He isn't sure if revoking the use would have an immediate impact, but Erin offers a Coke analogy to say otherwise. To learn more about the EPA proposal and leave a comment, go here: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-11-06/pdf/2015-28083.pdf.