Another study reinforced the findings of the above investigation. Of 460 hired
farmworkers in Washington state who were interviewed, 89 percent did not know the
name of a single pesticide to which they had been exposed, and 76 percent had never
received any information on appropriate protection measures.^54Comments and Concerns of New York State GrowersThe following are comments of growers on their surveys. They fall into two cate-
gories: public perception or pesticide regulations.Public Perception
¥‘‘The public needs to be educated that they don’t have to be afraid of a corn-
field. People assume a cornfield is a hazardous waste area. Landlords and neigh-
bors think we are all poisoning the land and that farmers are indiscriminate
polluters.’’¥‘‘Corn is a great crop to grow—easily mechanized, good feed for cattle, high
energy source. On the other hand, it is very expensive to grow. The use of
chemicals is an absolute must, but growing concerns with the environment has
made nonfarmers and consumer groups wary. We need a higher level of educa-
tion to these groups to help alleviate their fears.’’¥‘‘Don’t forget we as farmers have families. We are concerned about health issues
as we are more exposed to chemicals than the consumer is. Our wives and fami-
lies buy all the groceries at the same stores other people do. We want and
deserve good information on which we base our decisions.’’
¥‘‘We need all the products and tools we can get in order to ultimately use less
total pesticide. I get very tired of some environmental groups thinking farmers
spray pesticides on crops just because they have nothing else to do, or worse
yet, don’t know any better. We don’t put $4,000 or more in a sprayer and then
go apply it unless it is absolutely necessary.’’Regulations/Certification/Pesticide Use¥‘‘I don’t feel we farmers are being treated fairly in regards to the use of pesti-
cides. We now must take tests in order to purchase and use chemicals and then
go to some of the ‘foolish’ meetings in order to get ‘points’ to get our recertifica-
tion. The meetings I have attended give me the impression people feel we are
not applying the chemicals properly or do not give a hoot about the environ-
ment. If they only knew how much we have invested in these chemicals and
machinery. We farmers have enough common sense to know not to spray when
it’s windy, not near open ditches, streams, and ponds, and certainly not near the
neighbors’ houses where we rent land.’’52 | Pesticides