First off, I don’t know why you would be attacking an organic farmer for refusing to use chemicals and pesticides. By boycotting the Parents, Kathy is simply and effectively sharing her opinion. I know that it is effective considering the protest from those advocating chemicals.

And to Mr. Parent’s “education”, I remind you of a quote by Will Durant, a 20th century history. He said that, “education is a progressive discovery of our ignorance.” Simply put, one can have years of education and still be at odds with another. And if your “education” has taught you that pesticides are any good, I encourage you to visit the Pesticide Information Center,http://www.beyondpesticides.org/.

And Mr. Parent, by saying that “most of my sponsors are natural or organic…” you enter a hypocritical state. An analogy could be an anti-fur activist who decides that they will wear fur only sometimes. It just doesn’t fit!
And Mr. Nierodzik, by suggesting that Kathy belongs in a nut house for standing up for what she believes in, that is offensive and immature. It is a grave reminder of a kindergartner bully that I had who would tell everyone else “to go to the crazy house”…. Relations?

Apologies for the lengthy letter…
Dmitry

Round-Up may be effective, but it is scary stuff. I used it once, before I knew better. Yes, it worked, but a little too well. I’ll never do that again, especially in a garden from which I’ll be eating the bounty.

The organic way may be harder, but with the perpetual threats to the food supply, it seems to me that an ounce of prevention can go a long way. Generations of farmers did it the hard way and the general public had many fewer physical woes because of it.

I disagree on not being able to teach people to farm organically “overnight”. It is not overnight. The benefits of organic food have been touted for quite a while in every form of media. With each outbreak of bacterial poisoning, the population grows a little more wary of the food supply. Why add chemicals … even for “just a week” … to the equation?

Many of us buy organically and locally whenever possible to minimize that threat to our families. There is nothing wrong with being critical of chemical – or any other artificial – involvement in what we put into our bodies.

There is also nothing wrong with voicing an opinion. To respond to a personal intent to boycott with “How dare you?” is really quite something. I don’t need to expound. It ought to be obvious how Cloverleaf Farm “dares”. We are remarkably lucky to live in a country where “daring” is a right that’s encouraged. Including Mrs. Parent’s right to challenge.

Although I fully expect a resounding bit of outrage from the Parent camp, I have to add my voice as an American consumer to that of Cloverleaf Farm. If I’m to eat produce grown on the farms of your listeners, Mr. Parent, please don’t encourage the use of chemicals in my future food.

Based on your words and the messages from the Parents I have determined that:
a) you only listened to “a part” of a larger issue;
b) your beliefs about organic farming / gardening are based, in part, on watching one video-production (of dubious integrity);
c) you seem to believe that 2 advanced degrees and 25 years of experience do not equal “your vast knowledge of the subject”, which in this case is chemicals;
d) since you happen to perform your farming or gardening by certain methods, that is THE only method that everyone else MUST follow “or else rot in hell”.

I believe that the following 3 statements about Mr. Parent, admittedly taken from a website about he and his show, go far in proving his authority in the matter.

“When Paul gives gardening advice to novice or master gardener, it is based on years of training, formal horticultural education, experience as a gardening writer, a home gardener himself, early apprenticeship as a greenhouse worker and now, former owner of his own Nursery, Greenhouse, and Garden Center in Scarborough Maine.”

“For the last twenty-three years, ‘The Paul Parent Garden Club Show’ has focused on accurate and up to date information. … The listening public has been listening and receiving sensible advice for over twenty-three years from their friend Paul.”

You childishly request others to engage in a boycott, though none of your various web pages indicates ANY education or authenticity at all; and the statement (found on your “Cloverleaf Farm Stand / About Us” webpage) “Our products are never tested on animals’… only willing friends and family.” only serves as justification for my next statement and to prove how crazy you REALLY are, not only for your incorrect use of a possessive plural (where only the plural is necessary), but the obvious potential danger your methods pose!

In my opinion you belong in the very same “nut-house” that should be housing the PETA protesters against “the horse carriage industry”!

Now let’s see if you actually allow this response to appear on your blog; although it won’t matter if you do, for I have already sent it to the Parents.

Robert Nierodzik