Pest control

The FDA recently reopened the issue of labeling irradiated foods. That renewed debate misses the point according to commentator Suzanne Elston. She says we should be trying to learn more about our foods, not distance ourselves from them.

Every year, the U-S uses more than a billion pounds of pesiticides to exterminate rodents and insects, weed our lawns and protect crops. Recent research on one class of insecticides — organophosphates — may lead to restrictions on their use. LOE’s Daniel Grossman reports from a Washington state orchard.

Commentator Ruth Page says that, by speeding up evolution among pests which develop genes resistant to the poison, users of pesticides are headed for certain frustration. She recommends the organic alternative: integrated pest management.