Same issue here with mill mud(which was fantastic stuff up until 5years ago when they stopped burning the trash) and cane trash mulch after sugar cane crops.
They decided they were not going to burn the trash anymore "because its bad for the environment".
Yeah right, as if your average farmer gives a stuff(knowing many of the local farmers I can say this without it being slanderous), and they all still burn the plastic trickle tape each year or two. Looks like a tire fire, black smoke from "Lost".
Anyway, very noble of the sugar board, and I agree it is really bad to waste all that carbon, but the real motivator was
profit potential from bailing it and selling it to city folk as mulch...
Farmers now have more perceived weed issues after harvest, issues that fire would normally prevent, so now they harvest the cane, then
spray the blocks, then harvest the trash and sell it, taking the herbicide with it, and distributing it throughout the suburbs. Great system
Several large community gardens have had issues, lost entire crops, and a few of them had actually received donations of cane trash(as a publicity stunt/marketing tool) which majorly backfired.
I often get asked if we use cane trash or mill mud as folks don't want to buy seeds from crops grown in it, and I know a local farmer here that lost an entire block of avocados and a block of pumpkins which he is certain was caused by cane mulch herbicide residue. Death as far as you can see, so depressing.
Worst of all he was trialing it instead of superphos as he wanted to be a bit more "natural" and build up the worms.
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Topic: WARNING! Grazon finding its way into home gardens! (Read 7940 times)