Post by lew92 on Jul 4, 2019 12:49:22 GMT -5
Rather than hijack brigitte's thread on Multiflora Roses, I thought I'd post some information I found researching 2,4-D in a separate thread.
This white paper from Cornell is pretty interesting. It has me convinced that 2,4-D should never be used and I won't use it on my farm.
Quote from the Introduction:
" 2,4-D was a major component (about 50%) of the product Agent Orange used extensively throughout Vietnam. However most of the problems associated with the use of Agent Orange were associated with a contaminant (dioxin) in the 2,4,5-T component of the defoliant. The association of 2,4-D with Agent Orange has prompted a vast amount of study on the herbicide."
So yes, dioxin is the major concern with Agent Orange, however, 2,4-D isn't innocent, either.
DH is buying me a weed torch tomorrow, which I'm hoping will help me kill off the tansy, elm seedlings, poison ivy, and chokecherries we've got growing here.
As for pesticides, I'm confortable using pyrethrins. There is a good explanation of them in this Public Health Statement.
For the cows, I have used Ivermectin pour-on but this winter it was ineffective against the lice they were suffering with. So I used Insectrin X powder instead, which cleared it right up. It is .25% pyrethrin and worked really well. It was the dead of winter and horribly cold and I didn't have to worry about the cows' coat freezing up like it could with a pour-on.
I have also mixed the powder with sand and hardwood ash in the dusting box for the chickens to help with any parasites they might pick up. It also works to dust the roosts for control of leg mites.
I have not used pesticides in the garden, but I think that good plant health is the best line of defense.
What do you all use? I try to stay as natural as I can, though I won't sacrifice an animal's health to stay organic.
This white paper from Cornell is pretty interesting. It has me convinced that 2,4-D should never be used and I won't use it on my farm.
Quote from the Introduction:
" 2,4-D was a major component (about 50%) of the product Agent Orange used extensively throughout Vietnam. However most of the problems associated with the use of Agent Orange were associated with a contaminant (dioxin) in the 2,4,5-T component of the defoliant. The association of 2,4-D with Agent Orange has prompted a vast amount of study on the herbicide."
So yes, dioxin is the major concern with Agent Orange, however, 2,4-D isn't innocent, either.
DH is buying me a weed torch tomorrow, which I'm hoping will help me kill off the tansy, elm seedlings, poison ivy, and chokecherries we've got growing here.
As for pesticides, I'm confortable using pyrethrins. There is a good explanation of them in this Public Health Statement.
For the cows, I have used Ivermectin pour-on but this winter it was ineffective against the lice they were suffering with. So I used Insectrin X powder instead, which cleared it right up. It is .25% pyrethrin and worked really well. It was the dead of winter and horribly cold and I didn't have to worry about the cows' coat freezing up like it could with a pour-on.
I have also mixed the powder with sand and hardwood ash in the dusting box for the chickens to help with any parasites they might pick up. It also works to dust the roosts for control of leg mites.
I have not used pesticides in the garden, but I think that good plant health is the best line of defense.
What do you all use? I try to stay as natural as I can, though I won't sacrifice an animal's health to stay organic.