According to a recent study, cocoa beans may be contaminated with multiple organophosphorus and synthetic pyrethroid pesticides. Researchers examined concentrations of pesticide residues from 16 farms in Ghana, running tests on 13 organophosphorus and 9 synthetic pyrethroid pesticides. They found three organophosphorus pesticides (chlorpyrifos, pirimiphos-methyl, and diazinon) and six synthetic pyrethroid pesticide residues (allethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, […]

A new study from China examining the impact of pyrethroids on human health found that individuals with coronary heart disease had higher levels of pyrethroid metabolites in their urine.  The researchers looked at 72 patients with coronary heart disease and compared the level of pyrethroid metabolites in their urine to that in a control group […]

A new study published in Applied Soil Ecology has found large differences in soils and the soil microbial communities that they support. In a three-year study, researchers compared soil characteristics and the functional diversity of soil bacterial populations (the number of groups of species that are unique from each other in how they eat, move, […]

A new study published in the journal Science of The Total Environment investigates human health impacts of pesticide exposure. The study cites numerous environmentally induced diseases including short-term impacts such as skin and eye irritation, headaches, dizziness, and nausea as well as long-term impacts such as cancer, asthma, and diabetes. The authors noted that nearly […]

Enterprise crop budgets are an important tool for planning future crop production and understanding the economic impacts of agronomic choices.  For established and transitioning organic producers, having a detailed budget can help avoid costly mistakes while also providing a tangible resource to use for other goals such as securing financing.  Budgets come in many forms, […]