ORGANIC FARM ADVISORY
For repeated violations of standard accepted practices of
Organic Gardening, the following are De-listed:
Home Farm Garden Club
Susan Wetmore
Dan Hathaway
Jane Murray
Pat Murray
History: Home Farm, headquarters for Vitvan’s School of the
Natural Order, included in its Articles of Incorporation, the purpose of
pursuing Biodynamic and Organic gardening.
a)
Biodynamic is a form of Organic gardening that takes
into account etheric and/or spiritual forces of the plant growth cycle, and strengthens
them with special preparations to be added to the compost or soil.
b)
Organic in common understanding means the non-use and
avoidance of exposure to synthetic chemical fertilizers, pesticides,
herbicides, or fungicides. There is no such thing as being semi-organic just as
one cannot be semi-pregnant.
Home Farm does not practice Biodynamic gardening, even
though some members such as Dan Hathaway, self-promoted compost expert,
understand the principles.
Recently Home Farm again voluntarily called in Tri-County
Weed to spray the grounds, including resident areas inhabited by children and
pets, with commercial toxic herbicides as part of an annual eradication program
for “thistle.” Note that co-operation with this program is voluntary.
Susan Wetmore is a member of a cooperative weed management
group and using her position as SNO Board member promotes the use of toxic
herbicides all around the Home Farm property, while dismissing the complaints
and concerns of other residents who have repeatedly objected over
the past years.
Thistles are a problem for commercial agribusiness
monocroppers. Home Farm does not grow crops. Thistles are a problem if
grazing animals eat them. Home Farm does not graze animals.
Even though Susan received notification more than 12 hours
before the day for the spraying, she did not send out warning to the residents
until 5 a.m. one hour before
the sprayer would arrive at 6 a.m. This left no time for those who are
concerned about the side-effects of toxic herbicides, to remove children’s toys
or animal feed from areas of possible exposure, or to leave the property before
you might be surprised to find a strange man in protective gear walking around
your house and yard area spraying unknown chemicals.
According to the representative Brandon at Tri-County Weed,
these are the chemicals that were loaded onto the truck going to Home Farm:
- Telar
- Milestone
- Weedestroy AM-40
- Spreader 90
- Detonate
- Escort
It is up to the man doing the spraying to choose and mix
whatever cocktail he decides based on the conditions he finds.
Tri-County is full of assurances that there will be no wind
drift of herbicides onto gardening areas due to the skill of the sprayer; that
warnings about contaminating streams, springs, ponds, and other aqueous areas
will not be a problem. He says if one is worried about a exposure around your
residence, one needs to “take precautions.” WHAT does that mean?
Persistent toxicity by Milestone has previously contaminated
compost and caused thousands to lose their garden crops and organic farmers
relying on outside compost to lose their certification. See
If you come to Home Farm hoping to harvest organic
vegetables, are you willing to trust a commercially motivated company, or the
judgment of Susan, Pat and Jane? Would you be concerned if the compost Dan has
applied to the garden was prepared from herbicide contaminated grasses?
Those who have repeatedly heard for decades the assurances
of for-profit chemical companies like Dow with Agent Orange, Monsanto with
Round-up, and the list goes on, are not convinced.
Therefore for ongoing Failure of Stewardship Home Farm must
receive the Toxic label.
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