Chemicals Applied to Fruit Subject of USDA Survey
9/223/2009
Fruit growers will be contacted this fall by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to participate in
the 2009 Fruit Chemical Use Survey. NASS will survey growers in 12 states,
including Oregon, to collect information on pesticides and fertilizers used,
acres treated and rates applied to more than 20 fruit crops.
“Because of the issues facing today’s fruit growers, participation in this
survey is vital,” said Christopher A. Mertz, director of the NASS Oregon Field
Office. “The Fruit Chemical Use Survey gives growers the opportunity to tell how
they use agricultural chemicals responsibly to produce a safe, abundant,
low-cost and high quality food supply.”
The Fruit Chemical Use Survey, last conducted in 2005, will provide much
needed information on the current crop production practices used in the United
States. The survey was just recently reinstated to meet grower and consumer
demand for the data. The results will help clarify the facts about chemical use
in agriculture.
“Information published from the Fruit Chemical Use Survey is used in the
decision-making process for the Food Quality Protection Act, which has an impact
on pesticide registrations, re-registrations and product alternatives,” said
Mertz. “It is an important tool that helps support the regulatory program that
protects the health and safety of agricultural producers and consumers alike.”
NASS will contact selected Oregon producers to arrange in-person interviews
for conducting the survey. As with all NASS surveys, information provided by
respondents is confidential by law.
“NASS safeguards the privacy of all responses and publishes only state and
national-level data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be
identified,” Mertz said.
Survey results will be published in the Fruit Chemical Usage report, to be
released in July 2010. This and all NASS reports are available on the agency’s
web site: www.nass.usda.gov. For more
information on NASS surveys and reports, call the NASS Oregon Field Office at
(800) 338-2157. |
