Truly Organic

For a few years now our family has been a member of a CSA. What is interesting about this CSA is that the farmer and owner Norm doesn't use any chemicals, pesticides, or chemical sprays. Sometimes being truly organic can pay it's toll. When a blight or the Colorado Potato Beetle strike it can destroy that crop for the entire year. Norm is committed to not using any kind of pesticide or chemical when he is dealing with a species of unwanted bugs. Here is an article that explains what Norm is dealing with and how he is taking action against the army of unwanted pests.

"Colorado Potato Beetle 

The Colorado Potato Beetle is a yearly resident here on the farm. It very much likes both eggplant and potatoes. We find them in all stages from eggs underneath the leaves, to tiny black dots, to big fat slimies ready to pop. The adults are the size of a pinto bean with a hard black and yellow shell.

Our method of control has always been to walk the rows and pinch them. This can take a couple hours for five of us 2x per week for a month or so to keep them in check.   This year I have about a full acre in potatoes and the beetles are out in force. The recommended organically approved insecticide is Entrust at $459 a qt. This would be enough for several applications on my field and would provide quick knockdown from both contact and ingestion. I try to stay away from even organic chemicals if I possibly can.

My latest strategy is to lower my tractor loader and angle it so that as I drive quickly over a row, the potato plants are whipped by the loader and some of the beetles are thrown into the bucket. After a few rounds I proceed to put my foot into the tractor bucket/loader and squish a hundred or so. In ½ an hour I am through the field and I dump a gallon or two of bugs in front of my chickens to enjoy.   I need to do this every couple of days, but it seems to be faster, cheaper, and cleaner than the alternatives."