Why Do Farmers Use Pesticides?

The term “acre” is said to have been derived from the amount of land one man was able to plow with his yoke of oxen in a single day. An acre measures out to be 43,560 square feet, or about the size of a football field.

Times have changed since the word was first coined. Improvements in farm equipment, such as the steel plow in 1837, and eventually tractors and other machinery have increased the efficiency of a single farmer. They could plow more than one acre per day, and could manage more and more land on their own.

 

Historically, farmers focused on raising enough food for their family and livestock. After providing for their needs and saving enough seed for the next growing season, they sold the remainder. As they were able to manage more land, they could meet their needs and have even more of their harvest to spare, giving them more cash income. That income allowed for further expansion and purchase of new, more efficient farming equipment. Like any business, farmers wanted to increase efficiency and build their farm.

Expansion continued until there was no more land left to claim. Farmers shifted focus to improve yields on the land they already had.

In those times, farmers and their families and/or farmhands spent an awful lot of time plowing and hand-weeding fields. They lost yield to insects and plant diseases.

Today, farmers know that those methods of protecting their crops are not feasible nor are they efficient. Labor is much more expensive and in short supply. Fields and farms are larger than what they once were, meaning that there is much more land to cover, making more time and people necessary to get the job done. We also know that excessive plowing leads to the loss of topsoil since wind and water can carry the loose particles away.

Pesticides were first developed to meet these needs. Farmers needed something that would target weeds, insects, and diseases and eliminate the need for expensive human labor. Modern pesticides were first used around the time of World War II, around the time that demand for farmers to produce more food was at an all-time high. The United States was feeding its own population, including all of the individuals serving in Europe and later Asia, and then also working to provide for European allies since the war was affecting their ability to safely farm.

In the last 70-80 years, scientists have learned a lot about pesticides. Farmers have ceased the use of the most dangerous and toxic pesticides, and have considerably reduced the use of others. Scientists have made breakthrough discoveries, giving farmers access to information that dictates optimal application rates to boost yields. Scientists have also studied plants to find what in-bred resistance they have to particular insects and diseases, and have bred crops to share those desired traits. It’s all about efficiency- the balance between what is safe for the environment and what is the most cost effective.

Now remember, pesticides are not one cure-all for crop “illnesses”, rather they target a specific issue. Herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides are all classes of pesticides. For example, we’ve all heard of Roundup. Roundup kills weeds, so it’s considered a herbicide. Other pesticides target insects and diseases. There are just some things that cannot be solved with manpower, and this makes it possible for farmers to produce higher yields of crops to support more than just our nation’s food supply. Excess crop is exported, bringing money into our country’s economy; used for animal feed, making meat and dairy products more affordable for the consumer; used to make biofuels, reducing the price we pay at the pump and giving consumers an alternative source of fuel; and is even used in most of our everyday products.

The most important thing to remember is that a farmer is not going to spray gallons and gallons of pesticides on their crop just because they saw a buttonweed or three Japanese beetles chewing on their corn. That may have been the case when pesticides were first introduced, simply because of lack of knowledge. Today, pesticide application is a very calculated and precise move: “Is this the optimal time to apply [insert herbicide, insecticide, or fungicide here]? What am I targeting [specific weed, insect, or disease]? Would applying now affect my yield, or is it too late?”

Pesticides cost money. Farmers have to pay for every ounce that is applied, in addition to the labor, machinery, and fuel used to apply it. In the event they do decide that it’s necessary, OUNCES – not gallons – will be applied PER ACRE. An acre is about the size of a football field, so imagine spreading the contents of a carton of school milk evenly over that football field. It would basically be drops per square yard. That’s how little is normally applied. If you’ve ever watched a sprayer move across the field, it distributes an even shower of tiny droplets as it moves along the rows. Most of what you see being sprayed is water.

There is extensive training required for the application of pesticides. Many farmers choose to hire a professional to treat their fields while others prefer to do it themselves. Training and specific licensing is required to ensure safe applications.

Not all farmers choose to use pesticides, but they are an option in modern agriculture. Today, farmers enjoy increasingly higher yields than their counterparts across history. There are fewer farmers working to feed more people on the same amount of land. The only option is to grow more on what we have, and pesticides help to do that. I grew up on a conventional farm, and we choose to use pesticides when absolutely necessary. When it comes down to it, remember that a farm is a business and it is not in the best interests of farmers to build up expenses on useless pesticide applications.