Farmers Frustrated on Spraying

Some Ventura County farmers whose land is in a Medfly quarantine zone expressed frustration Tuesday about having to spray their crops with pesticide far longer than they had expected.

Federal and state officials had told growers they would have to treat their crops with a mixture of malathion and bait four times during the month before harvest. But a new schedule--based on Ventura County’s winter temperatures over the last 30 years--calls for much longer spray periods, ranging from five to 11 1/2 weeks.

Steve Spalla of the Cooperative Medfly Project outlined the new rules Tuesday morning at a meeting in Santa Paula with about 100 growers, pesticide consultants and packinghouse officials.

After the meeting, some growers within the 86-square-mile quarantine area said that the new spraying requirements make it more difficult to decide when to harvest.

“I have to gaze into a crystal ball and predict what the market’s going to be three months from now,” said Alan Voorhees, a general partner with Hoffman/Vance and Worthington, which manages 3,000 farm acres in Ventura County.

Voorhees said he was also disappointed that officials with the federal Department of Food and Agriculture have not set a date for lifting the quarantine if no more Medflies are found.

Aerial spraying over crop lands must be paid for by the grower. It is done by ground crews or by helicopters flying a few feet above trees. In contrast, the aerial spraying over the city of Camarillo is paid for by the state and done by helicopters flying at 300 to 500 feet.

In addition to aerial spraying, avocado growers have the option of fumigating their picked product with methyl bromide.

However, officials said fumigation will cause light-skinned avocados to discolor and will probably shorten the shelf life of others.