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 In this first edition of Reader’s Corner, Chemically Speaking interviewed David Keen, president
of Organic Laboratories in Stuart, FL. This Gator alumnus has been
a reader for ten years, and enjoys the registration actions section as
well as stories that pertain to pest management. The newsletter
helps keep him current on market factors and conditions. In
addition to fertilizer and nutrient products, the company sells
Organocide, which is an OMRI listed pest management tool made
from plant and fish oils. The product controls pests such as scale,
spider mite, and powdery mildew on numerous crops and has
efficacy comparable to conventional management tools. The
company was also the first to appreciate and market the fungicidal
activity of certain phosphorous compounds and is currently
investigating plant health manipulation with silicon. Organic Laboratories has also just released
an adjuvant that extends copper efficacy in an effort to manage citrus canker.
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 Another reader, Jonathan Landwer is the owner of Dragonfly Farms in
Eustis, FL. He propagates his own field-grown cut flowers, such as
delphinium, sunflower, and snapdragon and sells them to distributors
along the eastern coast. He also sells locally. He utilizes as many
organic production practices as possible, but generally intersperses
conventional materials when pest pressures are high. He has been a
reader of Chemically Speaking for four years, and appreciates the new
product and regulatory items. He has held the southeast region
coordinator position for the Association of Specialty Cut Flower
Growers and stated that he would like to see some comparative
toxicology information between organic and conventional products.
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