Agricultural groups say the changes to the H-2A agricultural guest worker program that the Department of Labor recently proposed are a move in the right direction. But they say what is really needed is comprehensive labor reform.
"This proposal is a start to finding solutions to a very complex issue that is critical to Florida citrus growers and U.S. agriculture in general," says Michael Sparks, executive vice president and chief executive officer of Lakeland-based Florida Citrus Mutual. "Mutual will continue to lobby Congress for comprehensive immigration reform and a better guest worker program that meets the needs of growers and foreign workers."
Doug Mosebar, a grower of diversified crops in Santa Ynez, Calif., and California Farm Bureau Federation president, agrees.
"Even with the proposed changes, the H-2A program will still have many of the problems that have made it unworkable for our diverse agriculture. For the program to work in California, it must be much more flexible and efficient."
The proposed rule aims to simplify the application process for growers who seek guest workers because they cannot find enough labor locally. The public has 45 days to comment on the proposal.
An apple a day may keep Alzheimer's at bay. That's the result of a study by Cornell University researchers in Geneva, N.Y., and their colleagues in South Korea.
As part of the study, Chang Y. "Cy" Lee - Cornell professor and chair of food science and technology at the university's New York State Agricultural Experiment Station - and South Korean colleagues exposed nerve cells to apple, banana and orange extracts. They found that the fruits' antioxidants, specifically the so-called phenolic phytochemicals, prevented oxidative stress-induced toxicity in the neurons.
"Many studies indicate that the brains of Alzheimer's patients are subjected to increased oxidative stress . . . and the resulting cellular dysfunctions are widely believe to be responsible for the nerve degeneration in these patients," Lee says.
The recent research is a continuation of studies Lee conducted in 2004. In those studies, he found that similar chemicals in apples could protect rat brain cells when assaulted by oxidative stress in laboratory tests, and therefore, that apples might help prevent the type of damage that triggers Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
"Since then, we received many requests (mostly from the general public), asking about the potential benefits of other common fresh fruits in our daily diet, such as oranges or bananas. To answer these questions, we did some additional work," Lee says.
Unpeeled apples, he says, contain the highest content of protective antioxidants, followed by bananas, then oranges.
"Our results suggest that fresh apples, banana and orange in our daily diet along with other fruits may protect neuron cells against oxidative stress-induced neurotoxicity and may play an important role in reducing the risk of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease," Lee says.
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National pesticide info center goes multi-lingual
The National Pesticide Information Center at Corvallis-based Oregon State University has expanded its services to handle pesticide questions in more than 170 different languages.
Historically, the center has received 24,000 questions annually from all 50 states and several countries.
Since coming to OSU in 1995, the center has helped thousands of callers with questions that range from pest control to product technical information, such as active ingredients or manufacturer safety data sheets.
A new agreement with Language Line Services connects the center with staff trained in medical and scientific terminology and can be accessed 24 hours a day for translations in real-time in more than 170 languages, including Mandarin, Russian and Farsi.
"This new service makes it possible to reach many underserved populations," says Dave Stone, an assistant professor in OSU's Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology and the new center director.
The National Pesticide Information Center, a cooperative effort between OSU and the Environmental Protection Agency, provides science-based information about pesticide toxicology, safe and legal use of pesticides, environmental impacts and regulation to the general public, medical community, government officials and applicators.
"Whether you're in the city or on a farm, whether you're combating cockroaches or weeds, whether you're a homeowner, physician or pesticide applicator, you can get objective information about pesticides," Stone says.
In addition, NPIC has unveiled a new Web site at http://npic.orst.edu that features fact sheets for pesticide active ingredients, case profiles, resources for integrated pest management and links to helpful resources.
For more information on NPIC or assistance with pesticide related questions, call (800) 858-PEST or e-mail at npic@ace.orst.edu.
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