yellow crop duster
flying low, spraying sprouting
corn with toxic brew
It's a clear, windless day in Iowa. As we drive into town, we see a little yellow bi-plane flying extremely low over a field of newly sprouted corn. The wheels are down, as if it's about to land, but then it banks sharply, turns and comes back down for another pass. We are now driving parallel to the aircraft, close enough to see a stream of foggy white spray spewing from the back end. Ah, Spring and pesticides are in the air. It's a crop duster, trying to get ahead of the bugs and fungus that plague hybrid corn, and probably adding a dose of fertilizer for this nutrient gobbling crop. Aerial application of pesticides has been around since the 1920s. Environmental concerns about spray drift, soil contamination, water pollution, occupational diseases such as cancer eventually led to greater regulation and greater precision of application. As long as corn is king in Iowa, the practice will be supported by agribusiness, but an increasing number of small organic farmers who want to protect their crops are making their voices heard too.
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