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Calif. bans weed pulling by hand on farms
MSNBC ^ | 23 September 2004 | AP

Posted on 09/23/2004 6:14:50 PM PDT by pickemuphere

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - California became the first state Thursday to ban weeding by hand on most farms, saying the work is too backbreaking for laborers.

Under a rule approved by the California Occupational Safety and Health Division, farmworkers, in most cases, will not have to stoop to pull weeds, but will instead be given long-handled tools that will allow them to work without bending over. The rule takes effect within two weeks.

The regulation aims to prevent the “real and substantial risk of back injury” caused by stooping to weed or thin plants by hand, Cal-OSHA said. The workplace-safety agency had no estimate of how many California field hands hurt their backs.

(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: burdock; chickweed; dandelion; goldenrod; jimsonweed; lambsquarters; nannystate; nimblewill; spurge
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To: Lizavetta; montomike
Who's gonna pick the strawberries?

The same thing that picks the wheat and corn.
MACHINES.

Great the seed companies can develop strawberries as tough as corn or wheat, no trouble, but how are you gonna get people to eat them?

So9

21 posted on 09/23/2004 6:35:09 PM PDT by Servant of the 9 (We are the Hegemon. We can do anything we damned well please.)
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To: sweneop; farmfriend
And I assume you don't have a clue. Visit a farm tomorrow...
22 posted on 09/23/2004 6:35:57 PM PDT by tubebender (If I had known I would live this long I would have taken better care of myself...)
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To: pickemuphere

SO QUIT!


23 posted on 09/23/2004 6:35:58 PM PDT by Atlas Sneezed (Your Friendly Freeper Patent Attorney)
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To: pickemuphere

Confounded, the liberals call a summit and hold a round table discussion; "The chirpractic Benefits of Atrazine" Dr. Richard Bob emerged beaming from the inclusive event to giddily announce that no relevent conclusions had been drawn.

(I know the feeling man, I worked a farm when I was kid too. Picking up rocks was my bane)


24 posted on 09/23/2004 6:37:18 PM PDT by Damifino (The true measure of a man is found in what he would do if he knew no one would ever find out.)
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To: BookaT

Well, I've heard of smoking the weeds but never eating the weeds. That is not a job for the weak minded.


25 posted on 09/23/2004 6:38:59 PM PDT by poweqi
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To: All

One more thing...

Lots of countries grow stuff, and do not "enjoy" the illegal population to harvest FOR them. Soooooooo, they have machines, at the ready.. Now. Keep pushing, and this B.S. deal with NEEDING to match workers with work, will plummet.

Ever heard of grapes dried on the vine, and harvested by machine?? Hmmmmmm???

It will save Millions upon Millions of labor dollars, done cheaper, and we don't have to support the babies from the machines.


26 posted on 09/23/2004 6:40:53 PM PDT by JesseJane ( “fake but accurate” ... it’s like saying a body in a pine box is “dead but lifelike.” -- Lileks)
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To: montomike
who's gonna pick the strawberries?

Me and my family, at the U-pick

27 posted on 09/23/2004 6:41:15 PM PDT by hedgie
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To: rawhide

Ducks and snails


28 posted on 09/23/2004 6:41:51 PM PDT by pointsal
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To: DoughtyOne
From my experience from pulling weeds on the farm, I can tell you that it would be very hard for any device to work as well as hands.

A hoe can come very, very close to mimicking the work of the hands -- especially when used by a pro. I agree that seedlings are best weeded by hand (this was my chore) but everything else gets the hoe or cultivator.

29 posted on 09/23/2004 6:42:15 PM PDT by pickemuphere
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To: pickemuphere

I wonder what would have happened if we would have had some government agency on hand at Plymouth to tell the new settlers that they could not do any backbreaking labor?

Our country could never have been settled by people with this mindset. It kind of makes me wonder what happened to the pioneering spirit of those who moved out west. One would think they would have retained the hardworking free spirit of the original settlers. Guess not.


30 posted on 09/23/2004 6:44:05 PM PDT by arjay (If the NYT is against it, it must be good for America.)
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To: pickemuphere

I assume Arnold signed this into law. I hire a Mexican to pull weeds in my yard by hand. Am I in trouble? If so I guess my wife will have to do it.


31 posted on 09/23/2004 6:44:07 PM PDT by Uncle Hal
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To: Servant of the 9
Before machines picked the corn and wheat people said the same thing. When the slaves were freed people said who's going to pick the cotton. Well, guess what? We have no slaves AND we have cheap cotton.

Necessity is the mother of invention. If you can figure out how to put music on a CD you can damn well figure out how to pick strawberries with a machine.

And don't run the 'cheap lettuce' argument here.....after you add in the schooling, medicating, and incarcerating of the illegals that head of lettuce costs a fortune.

32 posted on 09/23/2004 6:47:04 PM PDT by Lizavetta (Peace through superior firepower)
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To: sweneop
I also believe the tool is a puller, which will likely mean it's faster and more productive.

Which raises the question; why haven't employers provided these tools already? The initial investment? (which could be substantial)

33 posted on 09/23/2004 6:51:20 PM PDT by chiller (Kill lying liberal Old media.....turn 'em off !)
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To: pickemuphere

It could be worse, try bending over while standing in water all day.

34 posted on 09/23/2004 6:53:50 PM PDT by BJungNan (Stop Spam - Do NOT buy from junk email.)
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To: Lizavetta
Before machines picked the corn and wheat people said the same thing. When the slaves were freed people said who's going to pick the cotton. Well, guess what? We have no slaves AND we have cheap cotton.

Machines pick and pack our tomatos, that is why we have to grow our own or find a boutique grower of heirloom varieties somewhere to get an edible tomato.

Mechanization works fine with crops that are already sturdy enough to survive, but no one has yet figured out how to pick delicates mechanically and they have been selling machines to supposedly do it for 50 years.

So9

35 posted on 09/23/2004 6:54:23 PM PDT by Servant of the 9 (We are the Hegemon. We can do anything we damned well please.)
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To: rawhide
I am curious, what kind of tool can do the job of weeding by hand effectively?

A hoe. In high school I could weed a 6 foot by ten mile area in a day (all for minimum wage!). If you know how to use them, a good hoe can pull a weed out by the roots and drop it wherever you want. The trick is to hook the weed around the base of the rod by giving the hoe a half twist and then using the inverted hoe as a lever. It gets easy after your millionth weed!

36 posted on 09/23/2004 6:59:07 PM PDT by Ronaldus Magnus
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To: Servant of the 9

Wimpy strawberries doesn't justify letting in illegals to do the job. Cut out welfare and let the uneducated pick strawberries. The higher cost of employing Americans will motivate somebody to invent a strawberry picker.


37 posted on 09/23/2004 7:01:16 PM PDT by Lizavetta
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To: Uncle Hal
I assume Arnold signed this into law. I hire a Mexican to pull weeds in my yard by hand. Am I in trouble? If so I guess my wife will have to do it.

It is a regulation handed down by California OHSA, not a law.

Sure sounds like you will be in trouble in the future if you live in California and hire someone to pull weeds.

38 posted on 09/23/2004 7:12:37 PM PDT by ngc6656
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To: Servant of the 9

Who cares strawberrys suck. I hate the damn things. Not joking, they taste about as good as okra.


39 posted on 09/23/2004 7:19:31 PM PDT by highpockets
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To: pickemuphere
Weed picking robots, they are easily producible.

They were also more expensive than laborers, until now.

Say hello to Wendy Weeder. She works 24/7 for nothing.

Once again the bleeding hearts shoot themselves in their collective foot.
40 posted on 09/23/2004 7:24:36 PM PDT by Born to Conserve
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