Horses and lawns!

[cowman]

How come is it that all the various dingbats are dead set against farmers using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, when in fact the greatest use of pesticides and fertilizer takes place on the lawns of the cities. Now I read that somewhere, but I can't remember where? Not only that but "urbanites" tend to sort of overdo it! They just plow that fertilizer on...gotta be greener than the guys next door! And we sure wouldn't want any dandelions spoiling the lawn, so we'll spray it two or three times a year with killex(a really toxic little mix!). Dew worms? Spray them with Savin(very,very toxic!!!). I wonder how much water is used on lawns in a city like Toronto?
Another thing that makes no sense is horses. Every acreage seems to have a couple of old nags on them. Maybe get rode once or twice a year! How much hay and grain do these worthless animals eat? Price is no object...$6/bale! No Problem!
I have always had a horse or two until a few years ago. My old mare up and died so I replaced her with a quad. There are times when I could use a horse but never enough that I want to take care of one!!
I had a pony for the kids but when they got so they wouldn't ride her I got rid of her.
When I here people talk about how terrible it is that we feed grain to cattle and pigs while the poor starve, I wonder, do they have a couple of horses back on their acreage in the country?

[dalek]

Remember being at our Co-op when a gardener came in who had heard a Touchdown commercial on the radio and how it was cheaper than Roundup, he wanted to buy a spray bottle. When they told him all they had was bulk, he was all excited about the prospect of buying 20L of Touchdown concentrate so he could REALLY put it to the weeds in his flowerbeds. Wasn't too happy when they said they wouldn't sell it to him with out a GPSC.

[Deb]

There are now around 20 municipalities across the country that have banned using pesticides for cosmetic purposes (for lawns basically).

The city I am closest to has found large amounts of coliform and pesticides coming from storm drains even in a summer drought. this means people water their lawns too much, don't pick up pet feces and use too much pesticide. The city is planning a public education exercise to make people stop using Weed 'n' Feed to kill a few dandelions, and to pick up pet feces and flush it down the toilet, and to teach people not to water so much or use xeriscaping which is using drought tolerant plants instead of water guzzling landscape plants.

As for horses, my husband had a heart attack 2 years ago and since my daughter and I stopped riding the horse, he decided to and took some lessons and presto, he's the best rider I know and the horse absolutely adores him and they have a great time together every day, riding for miles. The horse is the best physical, mental and spiritual therapy for my husband. For this reason, we will keep the hay-burner! Her manure is great for the garden and compost bin as well. And she trims the grass along the edge of the driveway nicely too.

[cowman]

Good for him! Nothing wrong with a horse if he's getting used. There is a widow just down the road from me who has a couple of plugs. Her husband spent a lot of time with these horses but since he died a couple of years ago these horse just laze about and eat. She asked me if I would haul them into a horse sale for her but when she learned they would probably go for slaughter she changed her mind in a hurry! I guess I should of told her somebody would probably buy them for their kids.

[dalek]

People know they water the lawn too much. Last summer all the towns around here had watering bans on. My neighbour's a bylaw enforcement officer, he was heading into town at 4 AM because every night there were dozens of people getting up at 2 AM to start the sprinklers for their lawns hoping nobody would find out, and there lawns could at least be green while their neighbours went thirsty.

[cowman]

And personally I don't get it. The damned grass grows fast enough without fertlizing it or watering it! At least it does when you've got a couple of acres to cut! Actually last year was pretty good with the drought...hardly had to cut it! And no mosquitoes! So there is always a silver lining in every cloud!

[jensco]

Our horse not only subs for a quad she has turned out to be a great guard animal - helps keep away the coyotes. She is a great companion and is teaching the kids quite a bit. True, if in use good but many are not used especially if borded by urbanites. A waste in many ways.

City people see the number of acres being sprayed and therefore equate "too much". They don't stop to think of the research done to maintain balance and conserve input costs. Besides, the mentality is my little space is not the problem. It is always the other guy.
Another ignorance problem.

Greetings to all!

[cowman]

Dalek: I wonder if those by-law officers ventured out of the city if they would find all the organic boys spraying their crops?? It seems to me we are becoming an awful ambitious little bunch working all night as well as day! just to pull one over on the "powers that be"!
I read a very good book called "Workers Paradise Lost" about the Soviet Union. The whole rotten thing came down because the Russian people just didn't buy into all the B.S. anymore! It wasn't the U.S. or capitalism or any other reason! The people just quit playing the game. How far are we from that point?

[dalek]

I hear you. I've lost track of the number of "organic" farms I've heard of who have a big weed flareup and one morning sprayer tracks suddenly appear that weren't there the night before, and the weeds start dying in a few days. I guess it's all a question of getting caught.

[nakodo]

Aesa did a study on urban runoff water and pesticides and fertilizer residues and on rural and they were surprised to find out if I remember the myth that urban people cause more damage was just in fact that a myth. Maybe someone on the AESA or who read the report can comment. My aged memory tells me the majority of run off above and below the cities of Calgary and Lethbridge was agricultural in source and not urban as everyone expected...