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Letter to the Editor

Having focused much of my professional career on pest management and helping growers reduce their dependency on pesticides, I was excited to see the article about consumer action that would contribute to the profitability of growing organic cotton. It is estimated that half of the pesticide used in the U.S. is to improve the cosmetic appearance of the final product. Obviously, if consumers understood that their choice makes a difference, we could have a significant impact on pesticide use.

Having said that, I was disappointed with some aspects of the article supporting organic cotton production [ ICS Feb. 8 ]. My primary concern is that there were a number of statements that simply cannot be supported by any data and continue to expose the public to misinformation. Let me give you some examples of statements in the article that are misleading or wrong:

• Cotton trash is made up of leaves, stems, and some fiber, which are all exposed to defoliant and insecticide treatments. Seeds are deep in the cotton boll, and, therefore, it is not reasonable to assume cottonseed would have the same level of contamination. These types of statements suggest that milk and beef supplies are contaminated, but required sampling to ensure food safety suggests otherwise. Pesticide regulations in California require crop use be defined in registration of pesticides. Since cottonseed is used for oil products consumed by humans and as a feed for livestock, it is not possible to have pesticide residues above tolerances set by the EPA.
• There is a statement that suggests organic cotton is softer than "the other kind" of cotton. This statement defies logic since those producing organic cotton use the same varieties as those producing cotton with pesticide inputs. It might have been safe to say that the Patagonia T-shirts were softer because they purchase premium cotton but to imply cotton fibers from plants grown organically are different flies in the face of crop physiology.

The College of Agriculture has developed a curriculum that approaches agriculture production from a systems perspective, including a strong emphasis on ecology. We encourage our students to understand how agroecosystems function and to use that knowledge to pursue market opportunities such as organic cotton. However, we work hard to make sure they understand the reality of those systems and not draw false conclusions about what is taking place.

A. Charlie Crabb, Dean
College of Agriculture