Organic Farmers Cover Up For Aerial Spraying
BALCH SPRINGS (CBSDFW.COM) - Marie Tedei feels like she's preparing for aerial warfare. "They're storm-trooping my property with pesticides."
Tedei owns an organic farm in Balch Springs. It's nestled right up against the Dallas and Mesquite borders. Dallas has already been sprayed twice from the air. Mesquite is now on deck for back to back nights, and Tedei fears that her farm is likely to receive another dose of unwanted chemicals. "Some of my customers eat chemical-free food because of health reasons, not because it's the cool thing to do," she explained.
Tedei spent Wednesday evening covering nearly two acres of her crops. She also covered her beehives and brought her livestock inside. This marks the third time this week she's gone through the drill.
Despite concerns from residents, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with state and local health officials, said that aerial spraying is showing progress. "Initial results are in," said Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings during a news conference. "It is showing us that aerial spraying is working."
It may be one reason why the cities of Duncanville, Sunnyvale, Seagoville, Rowlett, Wilmer, Mesquite (south of Interstate-30) and Ferris recently opted in for aerial spraying. For the next two nights, these cities will receive two coats of pesticide from the air.
But Tedei claims that mosquitos are not the problem on her farm. She says it's the solution that's forcing her to cover up.
Meanwhile, scientists with the CDC will be in Dallas on Thursday to start analyzing the data collected from mosquito traps to determine the effectiveness of aerial spraying.
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