Should a pesticide contain a toxic chemical?

To some readers the question posed in the title of this blog might seem silly, of course there has to be something toxic in a pesticide or it wouldn’t be a pesticide.  However, some readers are going to answer with a ‘No’.

The other day I received via email a pamphlet created by a company marketing a new ‘green insecticide’.  On the first page was a list of benefits of the material and the first one was ‘Rapid knock down and kill within 30 seconds of contact’.  Now if that is not a good advertisement for an effective insecticide I do not know what is.  On the second page was a list things indicating why the material was safe to human health and the environment.  The first point was that the material contained ‘no toxic pesticides’.  How can a material rapidly knock down and kill insects within 30 seconds and yet contain no toxic pesticides?  It cannot.

I bring up this example because it illustrates how our society has evolved to a point where we desire to kill all our pests and yet want to do so in a way that does not hurt anything.  It is simply not possible to kill pests with a chemical, either synthetic or organic, and not have it contain a chemical toxic to the pest we wish to kill. 

There are other ways to manage pests without killing them.  For example, some chemicals are being sold that claim to boost a plants defenses against pests but these are not pesticides and are not marketed as such.  However, this is a topic for another blog sometime in the future.

The take home message is that a pesticide (insecticide, fungicide, herbicide, etc.) is by definition designed to kill its target and therefore is toxic to it.  If it is not then one should not be using it if one is trying to kill a pest.  The issue then becomes what are its side affects to humans and the environment.  So instead of trying to develop a pesticide that contains no toxic chemicals we should be focused on pesticides that kill their intended pests but have no side affects.  This may not be possible but is a worthy goal.

In closing I will acknowledge that some people will say that we do not need any pesticides but should figure out how to live in harmony with the plants and animals around us.  If we can achieve this then by definition there will no longer be any pests and therefore we will not need any pesticides.

Fair Trade Lodi Wine?

The other day I saw a press release from Sam’s Club touting the introduction of a certified Fair Trade Wine to its stores.  The wine is from Argentina.  The subheading was ‘Noble Malbec Reaps Awards and Sows Seeds of Change’.  It stated that ‘workers participating in Fair Trade Certified programs are guaranteed a fair price for their goods based on an analysis of the cost of living in their area that will allow them to lead their lives with dignity and to fund the development of schools, medical clinics and other basic necessities’. 

I was very frustrated after reading this press release/advertisement.  Don’t get me wrong, I am all in favor of Fair Trade programs.  However, I would prefer to tackle the issue of getting a fair price for one’s grapes closer to home, say in Lodi.  The problem Lodi winegrape growers have faced for the past several years is  they are not getting a fair price for their winegrapes.  In fact many growers have been getting less for their grapes that it costs to grow them.  If this is not a fair trade issue I don’t know what is.

There are several reasons for this situation and one of them is due to the globalization of the wine industry.  Large wineries are sourcing their grapes from all over the world.  If they do not like the price they have to pay for Chardonnay in California they can try Australia, France, Argentina, or Chile.  If they get a better price they ship it over in containers and bottle it here.  One of the reasons winegrapes or wine is cheaper in some countries like Argentina and Chile compared to California is that labor is much cheaper there.  The playing field is not level.  In both places growers are not getting a fair price for their grapes, the only difference is the price is much higher in California.  Therefore the big wineries go where the price is lowest.  This scenario has played out over and over in many commodities like steel, clothing manufacturing, electronics, etc.  Now it is happening with winegrapes.

While Sam’s club sounds very socially responsible for bringing Fair Trade wine to their store shelves they are helping create a Fair Trade problem in Lodi!  So why not create a Fair Trade program for Lodi wines?  Because no one would believe us.

These grapes were grown using no chemicals

If there is one thing that drives me up the wall it is when I see signs at the farmers market signs that read ‘No chemicals’ or read ads about wines made from grapes which were grown using no chemicals.  It drives me crazy because it is indicative of several important and serious issues.  First, it reveals many consumers are seriously afraid that food or wine contains harmful contaminants.  Second, it shows the willingness of sellers of food and wine to play on this fear.   And finally, it shows a serious lack of understanding by many consumers of some basic scientific facts.  I could devote pages to these topics but I will keep things to a brief outburst.

Putting on my scientist’s hat I will discuss the last point first since I think it is the root of the problem.  All things we put on our crops to grow them are chemicals!  That means water, compost, fertilizers, fish emulsion, compost teas, pesticides, and everything else.  You can’t grow anything without the use of chemicals.  They either come from Mother Nature or from us. or more usually both.  What has happened is  the bad name pesticides have garnered has become so extreme that the word ‘chemical’ has become synomus with the word ‘pesticide’.  Over the last 30 years the teaching of basic science in K-12 has really declined and I feel we are now seeing the results, which is many Americans do not have a good grasp of basic physical and biological science that can be used to make many important decisions, like food purchases.

Here is a quick tutorial about pesticides.  All pesticides are chemicals but not all chemicals are pesticides.  A pesticide is a chemical that kills a pest, or in the case of plant diseases, prevents a disease agent such as a fungus from infecting a plant.  By law, if a company wants to make a commercial claim that a particular chemical kills a pest then in must undergo rigorous federal and state registration processes.  It is then considered a pesticide.  There are synthetic pesticides and there are naturally derived pesticides that are approved from use in organic or Biodynamic programs.  They are all pesticides.  In reality I think it is very rare when a crop is grown without the use of any pesticides and it is impossible to grow a crop without chemicals.  If winegrape growers using organic or Biodynamic methods say they do not use pesticides, they are in denial.

I will end this brief outburst by saying that it is too bad that many of the public live in so much fear that they can be affected by signs like ‘No chemicals were used to grow this food’.  Fear of the unknown, such as contamination of our food with toxic chemicals, is a serious thing.  The best way to combat it is to become better informed.  Also, remember that it is a competitive world out there and it is the job of sellers of food and wine to convince you to buy their stuff.  Therefore if you do not want to be driven by fear of the unknown educate yourself so you have the tools to interpret marketing messages.  Then maybe you can feel more at peace while you enjoy that beautiful meal with your favorite glass of wine.

To certify for not to certify?

Yesterday I attended a meeting at the Wine Institute in San Francisco where a committee of very talented people, from both the wine making and grape growing sides of the industry, gathered to continue their development of a certification program to be used by the industry to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability.  It is an admirable and very challenging process.  Much too complex to discuss in a brief space like this but it does provide me an opportunity to make a few comments about certification.

Why certify something?  Unfortunately, it is because people don’t believe the claims made by others.  In the case of sustainable farming, consumers are not willing to take the word of growers that they are good stewards of the land.  One way around this problem is to get on independent group that people trust verify these claims.  This is where certification comes in.  However, it is very difficult to develop a credible certification program so there needs to be a very good reason to create one.

Lodi winegrape growers have long been committed to practicing sustainble farming.  Along the way they developed a self-assessment workbook, the Lodi Winegrower’s Workbook, which helps them increase their level of sustainability.  The workbook proved so successful that it has been used as a model for the wine industries in California, New York, and Washington State.

To be sustainable, a grower must be successful in selling their winegrapes and wine and at profitable price.  The Lodi growers felt it might be possible to add value to their winegrapes and wine by telling consumers that they were produced using sustainable practices.  Now I come back to my question ‘To certify or not to certify?’  Unfortunately, as I already mentioned, consumers do not believe growers when they say they are using sustainable practices.  To solve this problem the Lodi growers decided to develop a third party certification program to add credibility to their claims, the Lodi Rules for Sustainable Winegrowing.  It is a very impressive program and in 2008, its 4th year, Lodi growers certified over 10,000 acres of vineyards and six wineries are selling nineteen different wines bearing the Lodi Rules logo.

Sustainability is a complex topic and lots of things are happening in this arena.  Over time I will use this space to discuss some of the more interesting issues and hopefully get some interesting and fun dialogue going with some of you.

The First Sip: Lodi Wine Weekend!

First Sip

The second annual First Sip: Lodi Wine Weekend is right around the corner! Forty of our Lodi wineries are pulling out the stops to create an incredible weekend of handcrafted wines, barrel sampling, vineyard and cellar tours, blending seminars, wine competitions, games, food pairings and much more!

Tickets are $35 in advance at the Lodi Wine & Visitor Center or by calling (209) 365-0621. The price will increase to $45 each during the days of the event. Ticket price includes a commemorative wine glass and entry into all participating wineries both Saturday and Sunday, November 8-9 from 11am-4pm each day.

Visit www.firstsiplodi.com for a listing of winery activites and plan your route through Lodi Wine Country!

Lodi Wine Country Launches Blog

In an attempt to keep pace with the ever changing world of wine and winegrowing the Lodi Winegrape Commission is establishing a blog.  The Commission is invovled in so many things and blogging will be a great way to get the word out on some of them.  Many issues will be dealt with in this blog by several Commission staff members, including sustainable winegrowing, grower member activities, Commission staff activities, new Lodi wineries and wines, winery events, grower events and more.  Stay tuned.

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