This is Why We Spray Bugs

Can you see where the plants are smaller? They are stunted because there are aphids under the leaves sucking the life out of the plants. Compare the stunted plants with the plants on the right or in the back. Can you see the difference? That is basically one week's lost growth.

This is what the leaves look like close up. The good news is there are predators eating the aphids so they are not spreading through the field.

In fact, instead of spraying this time we are going to pull the affected plants by hand and bag them. There are only a hundred plants at this point.

   I can't tell you how much I really do not want to spray right now. First the material is expensive. Second, if we spray now we will kill off the predators and have to spray at least twice more. I have no problem pulling the trigger and spraying if we need to. But, the best years are when I don't have to spray.

Meanwhile on the farm- the wheat was cut. 

Average, or slightly below average yield. I was a little disappointed. It looked great.

We also finished our first irrigation on the cotton. Nearly flawless. Of course, as I mentioned last week I have to go argue with the irrigation district this coming week. Arrgh.

Dr. Strange Bug: Or, why I stopped worrying and learned to love pesticides

by Paul H. Betancourt

copyright March, 2011

A few years ago Sheryl and I were feeding the squirrels in a park in Monterey. That Monday I was back at work laying out bait to kill squirrels on the ranch.

I don’t have anything against squirrels. They’re cute and fuzzy! Feeding peanuts to squirrels in the park on a warm afternoon is fun, when they eat my almonds- that’s another story. Mum taught me to share- but, this is where I draw the line. The squirrels in the orchard gotta go.

That is how it is with the bugs and weeds too. No one wants to farm organically more than I do. We live on the farm and raised our kids here. But, those crazy bugs and weeds won’t kill themselves.

I concluded years ago that bug and weed sprays are ok- if they are used carefully. According to one UC Berkeley researcher, coffee and tea contain more natural carcinogens than there are pesticides in our food.

So, I feed the squirrels in the park and I kill pests with a clean conscience when I go to work on the farm.

This is an excerpt from my new book, This Week on the Farm. You can find it on  Amazon.com

I hope you all have a great week.

P