Looking through photos on the computer today, on a rainy afternoon after the farmers’ market, I ran into this one. I’d saved it from somewhere on the Web three or four years back (public domain, I think). It’s a striking shot, although whether it’s advertising safe pesticide handling or the scariness of chemical agriculture, I’m not sure. And, hey, that could be me, all dressed up and getting ready to go—you’re never too tiny to do some spraying! I looked up the pictured product, Monsanto Lasso. It is, or was until recently, the biggest selling agricultural herbicide in the US, used “everywhere” on corn and soybeans. It’s also a “known or probable carcinogen” and apparently messes with human reproductive and developmental functions as well. Hmmm… Luckily, I use a wheel hoe…
What a shot! Monsanto gives me nightmares – they are THE most ruthless, careless Goliath known to man. A Canadian farming couple is sueing them for contamination after Monsanto tried to sue the couple for $400,000 CDN for “using” the company’s Roundup Ready seeds, which had in fact blown over from a neighboring field. For full story – http://www.rightlivelihood.org/schmeiser.html.
Andrea, if you haven’t, you should read the Monsanto v. Schmeiser trial decisions for the Monsanto suit against him: Federal Court, Federal Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada. They’re online and they’re…great! Well, really interesting. The description of how the genetically engineered herbicide resistance works is particularly excellent. It’s all, um, MADNESS. :)