Would you live next to a strawberry farm?

Skippyherron

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Hey everyone,

We are hoping to move soon and thinking about buying some land backing onto a strawberry farm.

Hubby mentioned the possibility of wind carrying chemicals / pesticides / fertilisers onto our property.
(yes the wind would blow up the slight ridge in our direction)

Love to hear your thoughts/opinions/ideas.
 

Flatland

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I don't know how much chemical is used on a strawberry farm but seeing they will be your neighbours if you move why don't you visit them & ask. Don't come across as some mad greenie be polite & friendly & see what sort of answers you get. This will give you an idea not only about the chemicals but also what sort of neighbours they will be. These days just because of the costs most farmers try to keep chemical use to a minimum.
That being said years ago friends of mine lived next to a celery farm that sprayed the celery every Thursday because it was Thursday. My friends swore that their kids got sick if they were outside when the celery was sprayed.
 

Skippyherron

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I don't know how much chemical is used on a strawberry farm but seeing they will be your neighbours if you move why don't you visit them & ask. Don't come across as some mad greenie be polite & friendly & see what sort of answers you get. This will give you an idea not only about the chemicals but also what sort of neighbours they will be. These days just because of the costs most farmers try to keep chemical use to a minimum.
That being said years ago friends of mine lived next to a celery farm that sprayed the celery every Thursday because it was Thursday. My friends swore that their kids got sick if they were outside when the celery was sprayed.

Thanks for your reply Flatland!
That's amazing in a bad way about your friends and the celery farm!
What a great idea to say hi to the neighbours and see what kind of neighbours they are.

My mum did some googling about the chemicals and there was an interesting article in Choice about pesticides in strawberries.

We aren't pursuing this land anymore....and thats ok.
 

Mark

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We have a strawberry farm not far from us separated by a council easement (about 50m) and then another property which does back directly on to the farm.

I haven't seen any major evidence of chemical drift or contamination from the farm onto our property. However, we have about 15 native bee hives which seem to be growing slower than normal and we suspect it could be due to the bees visiting the strawberry farm and dying from the pesticides - just a hunch...

I personally wouldn't like to be next door to any commercial farm because apart from the risk of chemical drift they also use machinery and can become rather busy with pickers or workers.

You can also get irrigation run off and dust from newly ploughed paddocks.
 

Skippyherron

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Moreton Shire, QLD
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Sub-Tropical
We have a strawberry farm not far from us separated by a council easement (about 50m) and then another property which does back directly on to the farm.

I haven't seen any major evidence of chemical drift or contamination from the farm onto our property. However, we have about 15 native bee hives which seem to be growing slower than normal and we suspect it could be due to the bees visiting the strawberry farm and dying from the pesticides - just a hunch...

I personally wouldn't like to be next door to any commercial farm because apart from the risk of chemical drift they also use machinery and can become rather busy with pickers or workers.

You can also get irrigation run off and dust from newly ploughed paddocks.

Thanks for your Reply Mark, I hope those native hives take off soon for you.
 
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