Tiêu đề Reading Passage 03-Alternative Farming Methods in Oregon.pdf ✅

T h ầ y H i ệ p S Đ T : 0 9 0 6 1 1 5 1 7 1 Page 1 of 2 Mr. Hiep’s English Classes READING PASSAGE 03 Alternative Farming Methods in Oregon A Onion growers in eastern Oregon are adopting a system that saves water and keeps topsoil in place, while producing the highest quality “super colossal” onions. Pear growers in southern Oregon have reduced their use of some of the most toxic pesticides by up to two-thirds, and are still producing top-quality pears. Range managers throughout the state have controlled the poisonous weed, tansy ragwort, with insect predators and saved the Oregon livestock industry up to $4.8 million a year. B These are some of the results Oregon growers have achieved in collaboration with Oregon State University (OSU) researchers as they test new farming methods including Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Nationwide, however, IPM has not delivered results comparable to those in Oregon. A recent US General Accounting Office (GAO) report indicates that while Integrated Pest Management can result in dramatically reduced pesticide use, the federal government has been lacking in effectively promoting that goal and implementing IPM. Farmers also blame the government for not making the new options of pest management attractive. “Wholesale changes in the way that farmers control the pests on their farms is an expensive business,” Tony Brown, of the National Farmers Association says. “If the farmers are given tax breaks to offset the expenditure, then they would willingly accept the new practices.” The report goes on to note that even though the use of the riskiest pesticides has declined nationwide, they still make up more than 40 per cent of all pesticides used today; and national pesticide use has risen by 40 million kilograms since 1992. “Our food supply remains the safest and highest quality on Earth but we continue to overdose our farmland with powerful and toxic pesticides and to underuse the safe and effective alternatives,” charges Patrick Leahy, who commissioned the report. Green action groups disagree about the safety issue. “There is no way that habitual consumption of foodstuffs grown using toxic chemicals of the nature found on today’s farms can be healthy for consumers,” notes Bill Bowler, spokesman for Green Action, one of many lobbyists interested in this issue. C The GAO report singles out Oregon’s apple and pear producers who have used the new IPM techniques with growing success. Although Oregon is clearly ahead of the nation, scientists at OSU are taking the Government Accounting Office criticisms seriously. “We must continue to develop effective alternative practices that will reduce environmental hazards and produce high-quality products,” says Paul Jepson, a professor of entomology at OSU and new director of OSU’s Integrated Plant Protection Center (IPPC). The IPPC brings together scientists from OSU’s Agricultural Experiment Station, OSU Extension service, the US Department of Agriculture and Oregon farmers to help develop agricultural systems that will save water and soil, and reduce pesticides. In response to the GAO report, the Center is putting even more emphasis on integrating research and farming practices to improve Oregon agriculture environmentally and economically. “The GAO report criticises agencies for not clearly communicating the goals of IPM,” says Jepson. “Our challenge is to greatly improve the communication to and from growers, to learn what works and what doesn’t. The work coming from OSU researchers must be adopted in the field and not simply languish in scientific journals.” D In Oregon, growers and scientists are working together to instigate new practices. For example, a few years ago scientists at OSU’s Malheur Experiment Station began testing a new drip irrigation system to replace old ditches that wasted water and washed soil and fertiliser into streams. The new system cut water and fertiliser use by half, kept topsoil in place and protected water quality. In addition, the new system produced crops of very large onions, rated “super colossal” and highly valued by the restaurant industry and food processors. Art Pimms, one of the researchers at Malheur comments: “Growers are finding that when they adopt more environmentally benign practices, they can have excellent results. The new practices benefit the environment and give the growers their success.” E OSU researchers in Malheur next tested straw mulch and found that it successfully held soil in place and kept the ground moist with less irrigation. In addition, and unexpectedly, the scientists found that the mulched soil created a home for beneficial beetles and spiders that prey on onion thrips – a notorious pest in commercial onion fields – a discovery that