EAST TEXAS — Safe food supply provisions of the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 may put an end to use of older pesticides commonly relied upon by East Texas fruit and vegetable growers.
It may not seem so at first glance, but the banning of organophosphate and carbamate class pesticides could benefit both grower and consumer alike, according to Dr. Rodney Holloway, pesticide assessment specialist with the Texas Agricultural Extension Service.
“There’s lots of pesticides that are safer and better waiting in the wings to take the place of these older materials,” said Holloway, who will be one of the featured speakers at the 1998 East Texas Fruit and Vegetable Conference, set at the Tyler Rose Garden Center in Tyler on Feb. 17.
These newer, safer pesticides, however, are not labeled at the present for fruits and vegetables. The older materials are cheap, effective and well-accepted by growers. Though many of the new materials are labeled for food-use crops such as corn and soybeans, they are not labeled for use on fruits and vegetables.
The reason they’re not labeled is based on economics, Holloway said. Obtaining labeling for a new crop can be an expensive proposition for a pesticide manufacturer. Fruits and vegetables represent a small market compared to that of grain crops. But if the other materials are phased out by the Food Quality Protection Act, that should provide manufacturers the financial incentive to have labels expanded to include fruits and vegetables, Holloway said.
The East Texas Fruit and Vegetable Conference features presentations from speakers who include extension specialists from Texas and Louisiana and local fruit and vegetable producers.
Two approaches to irrigation will be presented. A commercial consultant will walk producers through the steps to set up conventional irrigation systems. There will also be a presentation on “rainfall capture,” an alternative to irrigation.
After lunch, which is included in the program registration fee, the conference will have separate vegetable and fruit sesssions.
The vegetable session will include a vegetable disease update by Dr. George Philley, a well-known East Texas extension plant pathologist. A vegetable production update by an extension economist and a review of summer planting techniques for a fall harvest are also included in the programming.
The fruit session will review newly released varieties in the Southwest, blackberry production for East Texas and value-added marketing to increase profits.
Registration for the conference is $10 at the door, a fee which includes lunch and break refreshments. The registration table will start at 8 a.m. The program will begin at 8:45 a.m and finish at 3 p.m.
The Tyler Rose Garden Center is located next to the Smith County fairgrounds on Hwy. 31, about one mile west of the Tyler square. For more information, contact Wayne Lacy at the Smith County Extension office, (903) 834-6191.
Those with a disability who need assistance should contact the Smith County Extension office by Feb. 1 so accommodations can be made.
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