Posted on 06/19/2023 9:02:01 AM PDT by EBH
Ruzycki Farms in Jones was the site of a possible chemical attack Tuesday, leaving much of the produce grown there dying or unsellable.
The farm’s owner Michael Ruzycki believes his crop was targeted with some kind of herbicide. The chemical damage will possibly lead to over $100,00 in lost revenue for the Ruzycki family based on estimates from their typical revenues off their subscription service, where people pre-order produce.
Ruzycki Farms is a local chemical-free farm, growing crops while also running a store, year-round public market and produce picking events in Jones. Ruzycki also provides produce for several local restaurants.
About 90% of Ruzycki’s crops have died since the chemical was sprayed, including nearly 2,000 tomato plants and hundreds of squash, zucchini, cucumber and pepper plants.
The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry will visit the farm this week to take samples, attempting to figure out what exactly was sprayed on Ruzycki’s crop.
Ruzycki said if he is able, the farm will replant as soon as possible. If he can’t, the farm will be covered for the rest of the season and will work with other local producers to create items Ruzycki can sell in his store.
Ruzycki said he was touched by the amount of support his family has received since the attack.
“The community, the support that we’ve seen from our followers and from new people that have heard about our story has just been overwhelming,” Ruzycki said. “It’s just eye opening.”
Community members have started a GoFundMe to help the Ruzycki family.
Sounds like the FBI has new marching orders...
The herbicide 2-4-D butyl ester, if sprayed within miles and conditions are right such as an inversion, can be blown off target and kill some veggies with just vapors. Fifty years ago Dow Chemical was experimenting with herbicides in South Texas and it got off target because of an inversion and damaged crops for miles around.
Funny how you don’t hear about this happening to big agribusiness farms.
Has a carbon pipeline company recently express an interest in his property?
Jones is in Oklahoma County, 20 miles from OK City.
That’s is not rural in Oklahoma.
Where was Bill Gates?........................
Looks pretty rural to me on satellite maps?
10200 N Choctaw Rd, Jones, OK 73049
Or a Chinese battery building company.
I believe Monsanto has done things like this in the past with an excuse when caught that the farmer had Monsanto seed plants in his field.
Or antifa.....
The owner and the police believe it’s a neighbor dispute. Owner was using a drone for some social media shoots. Neighbor who has an ‘operation’ didn’t like it at all, there was a confrontation, next day his crops were dying off.
The ‘operation’ referred to by the owner is probably a weed growing operation (medical marijuana is legal in Oklahoma).
Will Johnny Cougar do a song about these farmers?
So basically, this is just hi-tech theft and/or deliberate damage to property valued over $1,000,000. Chemical arson.
People go to jail for that and should.
Big agribusiness grows many crops that have been genetically altered so that herbicides do not damage them which allows them to spray for weeds.
That’s a pretty small farm, like less than half an acre of tomato plants, perfectly plausible that a vindictive neighbor carried out an attack normal people would only fantasize about. Doesn’t look like 2-4-D exposure at all to me...not roundup. Looks like a water issue, like the cucurbits got watered with salt. I am curious what his irrigation supply is or if is a private well.
Unless it’s a smolett moment. Things to consider.
2-4-D has been around for a long time. Very effective broadleaf killer. I used it regularly in fence rows and in cornfields. But you had to watch out for the wind when near alfalfa, clover, soybeans, gardens, etc.
But ‘Banvel’,... that stuff has 2-4-D and something else (don’t remember), and had a stronger scent. You could use like 2-4-D, but it worked slower, yet was more powerful. And it would linger in the air much longer, and move with even the slightest air movement.
Small farm pr not, that’s pretty outrageous. And depending on what was used is the soil even still viable?
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