Bt crop varieties, such as cotton and corn, are modified through introduction of a Bt gene that causes the plants to produce a toxin that protects them from certain pests. Advertisement His concerns grew at a meeting run by the local church's Caritas social-service agency that highlighted the seeds' alleged environmental hazards. He claimed humans could ingest Bt toxin through cottonseed oil, used for cooking, and cited reports of skin inflammation caused by contact with the crop. Sadiq...

Local residents can expect to see more crop-duster this year, says Brown By BRADEN WILLIS, Of The Times Staff Greg Brown, of Brown Feed and Chemical in Carmi, said Wednesday area residents may be seeing more crop-dusting airplanes over the next few days than what they may be used to seeing, and there's good reason for it. Local residents can expect to see more crop-duster this year, says Brown By BRADEN WILLIS, Of The Times Staff Greg Brown, of Brown Feed and Chemical in Carmi, said...

The golf fraternity refutes charges of being major polluters, and another US study concluded in 1999 that the pesticide run-off into local watercourses was "virtually nil" Naturally, this doesn't please eco warriors who allege that the 17,000 golf courses in the US use more pesticides than anyone else, including farmers. This week's question comes from a male reader - alerted by his girlfriend, who thinks his love of golf might be incompatible with his Greenpeace membership. Living in fear...

Under the CSP, Wilson has made more changes in his farming, lowering the rate of nitrogen fertilizer that he applies and switching from fall-applied anhydrous ammonia to spring applications. Wilson, who runs a tile contracting business as well as farming about 300 acres, said he's seen two-feet-deep ditches from that rain on neighboring farms that are tilled. And because he's farming land that is also terraced, his careful stewardship qualified him for USDA's conservation security program...

Often you can rent or borrow spreaders where you buy your fertilizers. A garden spade has a blade with a straight end, making it handy for edging around flowerbeds and sidewalks, spreading materials, and skimming sod off new garden beds. There are two basic types: drop spreaders, in which a small paddlewheel at the bottom of a bin controls the amount of material spread, and broadcast spreaders, in which the material drops onto a spinning disk that scatters it. A spading fork with flat...

Oh, I suppose you could smell beer, admire the bubbles, measure the foam, take a sip, then spit it out into a bucket like wine. Oh I guess I know how to hold a wine glass now (by the stem so your body heat doesn't warm up the wine-now isn't that getting touchy?) how to swirl the wine around a little to admire the color, and how to stick your schnoz into the glass a ways to fully appreciate the aroma. Oh I guess I know how to hold a wine glass now (by the stem so your body heat doesn't warm...

Moreover, the report says that biofuels will likely make the problem worse, because of the increase in corn acreage and use of nitrogen fertilizer needed to keep with the demand for ethanol. The bottom line is that no matter what crop you are growing there will be some nutrients leaking out that system and the only way to stop the nutrients from leaking into the Mississippi is to create bayous or Dead Zones here in Iowa where the nitrogen is either leached into the ground water or removed...

The absolute maximum time for leaving prepared foods at room temperature is two hours, including time for preparation, serving and eating. If you are eating outdoors at a picnic or cookout where temperatures are hotter than 90 degrees Fahrenheit, discard foods after one hour. Before you go grocery shopping for that pinic or barbeque, check your knowledge on summer foods. But how much do you really know about summer foods? Check your knowledge with this fact-or-fiction list. The truth is...

State laws require retailers who sell fertilizer with 28 percent or more ammonium nitrate by weight to register with the state Department of Agriculture and Markets and keep purchase records, including the purchaser's name, address and telephone number and a copy of government identification, for at least two years. County Legislature Chairwoman Harriet Cornell, D-West Nyack, is sponsoring a bill to require wholesalers and retailers to report to local law enforcement purchases or thefts of...