Title: Chemical Usage in Agriculture | The Peterson Farm Blog
Headings: Chemical Usage in Agriculture
Chemical Usage in Agriculture
Table of Contents
Part 1: What are the different chemicals used in agriculture?
Part 2: Why do farmers use pesticides? What are the issues related to using them?
In summary:
Part 3: How do farmers apply chemicals?
Part 4: Are chemicals such as pesticides used in agriculture safe? For our food? For the environment?
We come into contact with chemicals all of the time. They are not inherently bad.
Toxicity: The dose makes the poison.
The most toxic pesticides are no longer used. Agriculture has transitioned to using safer chemicals. Most used today have very low toxicity.
Pesticides (like any substance) are not dangerous if consumed at a low enough rate. Just because a pesticide residue is detected in food, does not mean the food is unsafe.
If synthetic pesticides were truly causing all the things they have been claimed to cause (cancer, disease, etc.), farmers would be having severe health problems.
Eating organic does not necessarily mean you will be exposing yourself to less pesticide residue.
Environmental concerns about pesticides are real and should be taken seriously.
Eat healthy food, exercise often, and talk to the experts about your food.

Content: Reasons for the decline include more effective pesticides, better application technology, genetic engineering (GMOs) and new production methods like cover crops. ( This is further explained in Part 2)
Part 2: Why do farmers use pesticides? What are the issues related to using them? Part 2 is answered in another one of my blogs that you can read here: Why do farmers use technology like GMOs and pesticides? ( Benefits) What are the issues? ( Costs)
In summary: Benefits: Increases yield potential, allows a farmer to farm more acres, protects the soil through no-till and conservation methods
Costs: