Food for Thought

Let's face it, pesticides have a bad reputation worldwide. People like to blame the agricultural chemicals for loss of species, human health issues, and environmental problems in general. Since beginning my internship I have seen both sides of the story. There are labels, rates, and restrictions on all products to protect humans and nature alike from misuse or carelessness. FMC is big on safety; everywhere I go the first thing I hear about is safety knowledge and behavior. Just thinking about what you do before you do it can make all the difference. I'm reading a book right now called "Saving the Planet with Pesticides and Plastic" by Dennis Avery. He writes,

"Pesticides are a vital element of the high-yield farming systems that are already saving more than 15 million square miles from being plowed for food production. By 2050, pesticides and fertilizers could be helping to save from plow-down as much as 30 million square miles of forests, prairies, and other prime wildlife habitat."

That is a huge statement! If we produce higher yields then we get more food with less land. If we don't get the high yields then we plow down millions more acres of land to expand farming. Wildlife species lose their homes when we plow down more land. So, why wouldn't we fully utilize the land we already have? You cannot get the high yields without the chemicals. That's just some food for thought.