Roundup Use

[Rene Siracusa]

Worse even than Roundup was the use of Paraquat on the cane fields. Paraquat, a systemic herbicide, was applied in powder form by crop dusters (small airplanes). The idea was to kill the entire cane crop at once so it could all be harvested at the same time. Cheaper that way. It also killed the rats who ate the cane, and the cats that ate the rats. Paraquat is now illegal. The crop dusters were not supposed to spray on windy days, but they did, and the wind blew the Paraquat onto neighboring parcels. I remember driving through the cane fields above Pahoa high school and, on hearing the approach of the plane, had to quickly roll up my car windows to keep the poison out. When I returned home, my car was covered with the stuff. I have no idea of the half life of Paraquat, but if I were considering buying old cane land I would definitely seek out that information.