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Chemicals applied to fruit subject of USDA survey
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Beginning Oct. 1, fruit growers will be contacted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service to participate in the 2011 Fruit Chemical Use Survey.  NASS will contact growers in 12 states, including California, to collect information on pesticides used, acres treated and rates applied to more than 20 fruit crops.

“Because of the issues facing today’s fruit growers, participation in this survey is vital,” said Vic Tolomeo, director of the NASS, California Field Office.  “The Fruit Chemical Use Survey gives producers the opportunity to tell how they use agricultural chemicals responsibly to produce a safe, abundant, low-cost and high quality food supply.”

The survey, last conducted in 2009, will provide vital information on current fruit production practices in the United States. The results will help clarify the facts about chemical use in agriculture.

“Information published from the Fruit Chemical Use Survey is used in decision-making processes for the Food Quality Protection Act, which has an impact on pesticide registrations, re-registrations and product alternatives,” explained Tolomeo. “We safeguard the confidentiality of all NASS survey responses. Individual information is combined with other responses and published only as part of state, regional and national summaries.  No individual person or operation can be identified.”

Survey results will be published in the Fruit Chemical Usage report to be released in July 2012 and will be available in Quick Stats on the NASS web site at www.nass.usda.gov/.  Reports and additional information can also be obtained by calling the NASS Hotline at 1-800-727-9540.