One More Reason Upper Valley Farms Are Awesome

Over the weekend, the New York Times published an excellent opinion piece about chlorpyrifos, a notorious pesticide linked to brain damage in children, Parkinson’s disease, and lung cancer, among other things. The pesticide belongs to a class of chemicals once used by the Nazis as a nerve gas. Now the stuff is sprayed all over American fruits and vegetables. 

Not long ago, the E.P.A. recommended banning chlorpyrifos for agricultural and outdoor use. Then this year the ban was rejected, despite the findings of E.P.A. scientists. What changed? Dow Chemical, maker of chlorpyrifos, donated a million bucks to the presidential inauguration, and now here we are.

The good news? Many of our Upper Valley farms refuse to use this toxic garbage. We wrote about it this past spring. 

This time of year, when the hustle and bustle of the summer growing season is over, it’s easy to forget about local food. But our local farms are still producing, giving us nutritious, delicious food, cultivated with care, that’s gloriously chlorpyrifos-free. 

Thanks for fighting the good fight, Upper Valley farms. You rock.

NOURISH. CULTIVATE. COOPERATE.

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Ken Davis

Ken Davis is the Co-op's senior copywriter. Email him at kdavis@coopfoodstore.com.