Free Republic

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has refused to pay claims filed by two Idaho families who contend its pesticide treatment contaminated their crops and poisoned a cattle herd. Instead, USDA told the families to file a lawsuit — a costly endeavor that could bankrupt the farms and risk the $70 million potato pest eradication program in Idaho. The Potato Cyst Nematode (PCN) was discovered in 2006, threatening Idaho’s $900 million potato industry. The next year, the USDA began treating infected fields with methyl bromide. The treatment reduced the pest, but it was stopped in 2014 because of concerns from a...

<p>Terrorism authorities are investigating the theft of a canister of odorless, lethal pesticide.</p> <p>Urbandale police officers said Tuesday they are working with state and federal terrorism authorities to find the person who stole a 50-pound canister of methyl bromide, a deadly chemical used to kill rats or harmful crop insects.</p>

Associated Press WATSONVILLE, Calif. — Shoppers browse store displays brimming with succulent tomatoes and plump strawberries, hoping to enjoy one last round of fresh fruit before the Western growing season ends. There is no hint of a dark side to the blaze of red. But strawberries are a painful subject for Guillermo Ruiz. The farmworker believes his headaches, confusion and vision trouble stem from a decade of working in the fields with methyl bromide, a pesticide that protects the berries with stunning efficiency. Cheri Alderman, a teacher whose classroom borders a farm, fears her students could inhale a dangerous whiff...