I didn't want to get too closeso this is hard to see but this is the final pesticide being applied to the rice before the water is drained from fields and the grains ripen. If you look closely, you can see two people at either end of the long hose - actually a tube made of plastic sheeting with holes in the bottom. One carries a gas powered jet pack to force the powder through the tube to the other end. Since it's a powder, it sticks on the rice heads and also blows all over the place.
So why not go organic? Their field is 8" away from ours...so our rice wouldn't really be pesticide free anyway. If you don't buy the government chemicals then you don't get to use the mill or have a guaranteed buyer or have crop insurance. If your privately arranged buyers cop out and you don't have proper storage facilities, you lose everything. Unless the entire area agrees to organic methods and has a marketing plan, it won't happen.
My mom-in-law pointed out that before the War (WWII) the crop yields were really low. Americans introduced all the "miracle" chemicals of the 1950's (most of which are now outlawed!) and nobody has turned back since then.
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