Pesticide Drift Is a Persistent Problem for Organic And Small Farms

"MINNEAPOLIS -- The cloud of insecticide that drifted from a neighbour's corn field onto the asparagus on Andrew and Melissa Dunham's central Iowa farm cast a shadow over their organic vegetable business.

They say the costs from the incident and resulting loss of organic certification on their asparagus patch for three years will reach about $74,000, and they're now working with the sprayer's insurance company.

'We're a certified organic farm — except for our asparagus,' Melissa Dunham lamented."

Steve Karnowski reports for the Associated Press September 6, 2014.

Source: AP, 09/08/2014