Whenever I see, or hear, one of these machines arriving, I run for the house, close all the doors and windows, make sure the animals are indoors, and try to hold my breath for the duration.
I remember once seeing a whole bunch of local children running along behind a similar sprayer. Goodness knows what chemicals they use, I certainly wouldn't allow my grandchildren to do anything so foolish.
I quite understand that farmers need to control diseases and insects, and I don't complain as long as they do it whilst I'm safely lying underneath the bed with my gas-mask on.
Out city still sprays for mosquitoes in the summer, since they can be as dangerous as the chemicals. Still, I worry about what else those sprays are killing.
ReplyDeleteIt's for that reason that I never use sprays myself.
DeleteRecently, a farmer in The Mallee (a region in Vic, Aus) received a $7 million payout because his grape vines were killed by spray drift from a neighbour's property. Watch your veggies, Cro!
ReplyDeleteLuckily it was a windless day, as he was within about 20 metres from Haddock's.
DeleteAt least the spray is going on the plants not up in the air.
ReplyDeleteThe dangly bits at the front spray sideways, so it was reasonably focused. The sprayers with the long outstretched arms are the worst; especially in wind.
DeleteIs that your orchard in the background?
ReplyDeleteNo,it's looking out from the front of the house. The orchard is behind us-ish.
DeleteI could not agree with you more. What does strike me is that this spraying has become more frequent and more noxious over the past seventeen years.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure why they were spraying the Sunflowers. They're near flowering, so I can't imagine it was a herbicide. I will ask.
DeleteProbably about to be attacked by a head eating insect.
DeleteA sad reflection of modern large scale farming.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes think we're hell-bent on destroying all life on earth.
This is quite small scale farming, but there are others who don't spray at all.
DeleteFarmers don't spray one drop more than is absolutely necessary because sprays cost so much bloody money. And the oranges in the orchards of Spain are sprayed 25 times per season before the orange reaches your fruit bowl.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I don't complain about it. I just keep well away. I always say, if you can smell it, you're breathing it.
DeleteAs children we used to love getting covered in the milky mist of the crop spraying pumping unit. I think it was called Dieldrin. We used to break sheets of asbestos for fun too, as well as break up 78rpm records. How am I still alive? I really regret breaking up the records.
ReplyDeleteAs boys, I'm sure we all did some pretty crazy things. Bomb making, strange games with electricity, and illegal radio stations come to mind. I don't remember a fascination with agricultural poisons.
DeleteEvery now and then I will hear a low flying plane around me. I assume it is our county spraying for mosquitoes or a local farmer spraying his acreage. I hate them both and hope nothing blows on my gardens but I am sure it does.
ReplyDeleteI remember in England, having to stop in the middle of the road as people watched some acrobat in a plane spraying crops. The spray came all over us; luckily I had my windows up.
DeleteYes I agree Cro - there are still some pretty lethal sprays around.
ReplyDeleteAlways better to be on the safe side; close the doors and wait a while!
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