New Organic Pest Control Method Wins OCIA Certification

Organic growers have a new, more effective pest control weapon at their disposal. The Rodenator Pro has won Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA)-certification and is the only rodent control method targeting burrowing pests without poison or labor-intensive trapping that can collapse tunnels to prevent re-infestation.

The Rodenator Pro is in compliance with the following domestic and international organic programs offered by OCIA:
* The United States National Organic Program (NOP)
* OCIA International Standards accredited by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM)
* Japan Agricultural Standards (JAS)
* Council Regulations (EEC) EU 2092/91 (EU)
* Conseil Des Appellations Agroalimentaires Du Quebec (CAAQ)

Manufactured by Midvale, Idaho-based Meyer Industries, the Rodenator Pro injects a calibrated mix of propane and oxygen into the targeted gopher or rodent’s burrow. Since propane is heavier than air, the gaseous mix sinks to the lowest parts of the burrow where the nest usually is. When the operator electronically activates this mixture of blended gases from the end of the application wand, the oxygen mixture rapidly expands at 5,000 feet per second, creating a high pressure shockwave that kills the rodent and collapses the tunnel systems of many burrowing species.

Because the system ignites the mixture of propane and oxygen immediately, it leaves no chemical residue behind and is suitable for organic pest control. Since the resulting concussion will often collapse the tunnel system and bury the pest, growers don’t handle the carcass and new gophers or rodents won’t re-inhabit the collapsed tunnels.

“On a serious gopher infestation problem, I experienced a 95-98% kill rate my first pass through using the Rodenator Pro,” says Brett Johnson, who farms 20 acres of hay in Hollister, Calif. “It not only destroys the targeted pest, but also the tunnel system to stop re-infestation. It’s simple, direct, fast, with no need to set, bait, or check traps. Once I find the gopher mound, I could treat it in about 1-½ minutes, and be off to the next one.”

For growers who have worked hard to earn organic certification for their farm or orchard only to have rodents take over, pest control by non-organic means is out of the question.

They understand that traditional pest control methods like poison or fumigation would not only disqualify them from organic farming, but also could penetrate groundwater or put non-target animals and pets at risk. Traps are time-consuming to bait, set, and check. Shooting, although it may be fun, is workable only on a small scale, since gophers and rodents are mostly underground - out of sight and out of range. Similarly, introducing natural predators such as cats and birds of prey is insufficient since the pests hide in their burrows.

Even if the grower got the pests using traditional rodent control methods, this would do nothing to remove the underground tunnel systems which new pests can re-inhabit.

The Rodenator Pro organic pest control system can be used to eliminate burrowing pests from gophers, ground squirrels, moles, voles, groundhogs, and prairie dogs to rats, fox, coyote, and woodchucks.

Meyer Industries
Phone: 1 800 750-4553
Fax: (205) 355-0103
Ed Meyer
ed@rodenator.com
http://www.rodenator.com