Rats Kicked Off The Spinach Plantations...With Herbicides
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 03.31.07
Via Monterey County Weekly:- In a desperate attempt to keep virulent strains of E. Coli bacteria away from spinach, farmers are reported to be spraying their field margins and grassed waterways (as pictured) with Monsanto's Roundup herbicide, on the theory that by killing the grasses, a scourge of poopy rats and crappy cattle will be kept away. Someone seems to be forgetting to address the key question: how might rats, or any other mammalian life forms that might visit the spinach fields, come to host virulent strains of E. Coli in their respective guts? One obvious possibility is that they've been hanging around feed lots where maintenance doses of antibiotics are handed out prescription free. And then there's the self defeating aspect of trashing water quality, while increasing flood flow peaks downstream. TreeHugger urges you to read the entire article...and then send in your check for membership in the nearest Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Yea, we know. It's winter and locally grown spinach is not to be had outside California and Florida. Popeye had the answer. And it's gonna taste so good when it's in season. Image credit: Aerial photo of grassed waterways in tilled cropland USDA Agricultural Research Service.
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One gripe, don't say "Yea, we know. It's winter and locally grown spinach is not to be had outside California and Florida." While there of course is not in any comparable way the same volumes of greens to be had from local sources (yet), there are an increasing number of producers of locally raised spinach and greens year-round. So don't discourage treehugger types from looking for local producers even in cold seasons. They're the types that look for us producers. The more they find and buy from us, the more demand they show for local year-round greens, the more local year-round producers will pop out of the woodwork. I've been selling spinach out of my passive solar greenhouse year-round in Michigan at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market for a couple of years! Demand tends to easily outstrip my supply. At first I was the only producer there, this winter I've been joined by one to two other producers. My farm is brines.org and look for others at places like localharvest.org.
=== author's response follows ====
I agree and apologize for the oversight. JL
Wherever there are field mice, there are no rats. So create an environment which nourishes the wee mousie and the rat will disappear.
The limiting factor on rat populations is moisture, not food. Limit stray moisture and fewer rats.