The New Risks In Agriculture

Gone are the days of multiple farmsteads spread across the plains and valleys of a burgeoning land

. No longer do homesteaders head out to dig up the dark earth of their fields by leading a team of horses in front of a steel plow hour after hour, row by row. As technology has largely eliminated the small farmer in favor of huge conglomerates, an urban population is no longer dependant on its local farms to provide food. Fruits, vegetables, grains, seafood, and meat can be flown quickly from any part of the globe to any other, opening new vistas in diet and novelty.

However, new farming techniques have changed the face of the land so much that risk factors that were unthinkable in older times have become major issues.

With the rising popularity of biodiesel as an ecologically friendly alternative to petroleum in powering vehicle engines, as well as biopharmaceuticals, bioplastics, and pharmaceuticals, thousands of acres of ground have been planted for corn and soybeans. Corn and soybeans are also the top ingredients in mega-farm animal feed, so farmers have turned more and more to these two crops in order to see a profit. The consequences of this practice are disturbing. Not only are we losing forests of trees in order to clear land for planting, the land itself is being denuded of the natural minerals that originally contributed to a crop's healthfulness for the human body. Pesticides, insecticides, and fertilizer rich in nitrogen drastically alter the balance of wildlife in those areas, as well as leak into the ground to pollute the water table. Ingesting toxic pesticides is harmful, even if they eaten third-hand by consuming beef that has been fed pesticide-covered corn. Additional runoff pesticides and insecticides in our water as well as on the skin of fruits and vegetables may have triggered a large number of epidemic-like spikes in many chronic illnesses.

Farming isn't much easier for the farmer, despite tools and technology advancements. There is always the risk that the investment he puts in at the beginning of the growing season will be lost due to inclement weather such as hail and high winds, flooding or drought, and plant diseases. It's simply a matter of scale. Now that big equipment can take the place of hundreds of workers, there is more investment required, including crop hail insurance, and more to lose should something happen to prevent the crop from being brought to market. It still means a loss in livelihood.

Many people are advocating a return to buying local, responsibly raised produce and meat, but it would take another reverse revolution for all of the nation's population to have access to this kind of food. For now, our grocery store shelves are stocked with foods from all over the world at all times of the year, because it is growing season somewhere on the planet at any given time. We have a rich abundance, for which we should be grateful; but maybe it's time to think about the consequences of our actions.

by: Art Gib

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