Farmers are continually working to improve the quality of theirland and resources so it will be sustainable and more productive,even during the inevitable times of poor farming conditions, Larson said. Farmers depend on the land and water to earn aliving this year and next year and in the future, and they wanttheir sons and daughters and grandchildren to be able to earn aliving off that land as well. In Mississippi, at least 98 percent of the state s 42,300 farmsare owned and operated by families, not corporations. These familyfarms produce 86 percent of the state s agricultural products. Social consciousness Larson said there are many misconceptions and much misinformationin the debate over whether farming, especially large-scale farming,is good or bad for the land. Farmers consider long-term consequences because they know theresources they are working with are not necessarily renewable, Larson said. Hot topics in the farming debate are bioengineering and weed andinsect resistance to chemical controls. While the science iscomplex, the bottom line for most consumers is simple. The general public is more interested in whether the food theyeat is safe and whether new products and technologies, such asbiotechnology and herbicides, are good for the food and fiber thatwe produce, Larson said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental ProtectionAgency and the Food and Drug Administration all help regulate andenforce various aspects of food safety, chemical use andenvironmental monitoring. Years of scientific testing and research back any new product ortechnology that becomes part of agriculture, Larson said. Toughregulations and food safety standards help ensure safe products forhuman consumers. Friendly pest management One of the worst raps given farms is for their use of chemicals.Improper use of chemicals can lead to the development of weeds andinsects that are resistant to the chemicals that once seemed likemagic cures for these costly challenges. Chemicals are labeled with safe protocol and applicationinformation, which are based on all available data. Angus Catchot, MSU Extension entomologist, said scientific advancesin insect control now allow farmers to control harmful insectswithout hurting beneficial insects. Current insecticides oftentarget individual pests and are applied with precision and carefultiming. Insecticide treatments are expensive, and farmers do not want tospray insecticides unless they have to, Catchot said. Scientific advances over the last few decades have introduced cropsgenetically engineered to resist specific, harmful pests. Thesecrops require significantly fewer insecticide applications, whichultimately is much more environmentally friendly. Tobacco budworms provide an example of how crops with thisresistance, known as Bt or transgenic crops, reduced the need forchemicals to be sprayed on farmland. In 1995, cotton producers experienced an outbreak of tobaccobudworms and in Mississippi averaged six insecticide applicationsto control this pest. Some places had to have more than 10applications, Catchot said. Bt cotton controls 100 percent oftobacco budworm populations, and producers no longer treat for thispest. Savvy producers today control insects using sophisticatedIntegrated Pest Management, or IPM, techniques. Many of thesetechniques are the result of Mississippi Agricultural and ForestryExperiment Station research and MSU Extension Service programs thathave netted better results, lower costs and fewer chemicals in thebattle against bugs. IPM uses every tool available, which includes cultural practices,beneficial insects, scouting and insecticides when necessary, withthe goal of having the least impact on the environment, Catchotsaid. It s a multi-tactic approach that is least disruptive toanything in the environment other than the insects beingcontrolled. IPM incorporates all aspects of managing pests, including how thecrop is grown. Farmers today spend more than $100 an acre in the Deltacontrolling tarnished plant bugs in cotton, Catchot said. MSUresearchers are looking at managing plant bugs by manipulatingplanting dates. We re trying to show that by planting early, wecan avoid up to 50 percent of the insecticides typically used tocontrol these pests. Another pest under scrutiny is soybean loopers, the crop s No. 2pest in 2011. Soybean loopers are migratory insects that fly upfrom southern latitudes. Researchers have found that planting earlycan almost completely eliminate the need to treat for this pest. Farmers do have to rely on insecticides, but they re doing so ina very calculated way to minimize the impact on the environment, Catchot said. Both insecticides and herbicides used to control weeds are appliedwith discretion on an as-needed basis when a pest is threatening toreduce the quality or yield of a crop. Recreational uses While cost is part of producers desire to use as few chemicals aspossible, they are by no means the only consideration. Many farms today make money on more than the sale of crops. Tractsof farmland, waterways and forests adjoining farmland are leasedfor hunting, fishing and other recreational opportunities. Theseventures bring in important revenue and give farmers who are alsoavid hunters or fishermen an opportunity to enjoy this use of theirland. They re not going to use practices on their farm that jeopardizea source of income and a recreational opportunity they enjoy forthemselves and their family, Catchot said. Certification required Farmers follow careful environmental practices for financialreasons, their own ethics and personal commitment to preserving theland. Numerous regulations are in place to ensure protection of theland, the food supply, people and animals. Tommy McDaniel, a division director in Mississippi Department ofAgriculture and Commerce s Bureau of Plant Industry, said allproducers applying restricted-use pesticides must be certified todo so. In the registration process, pesticides are evaluated to ensurethat they will not have unreasonable adverse effects on humans orthe environment, McDaniel said. Pesticides may pose some riskto humans, animals or the environment, but they can be used safelyand effectively as long as they are used according to the labeldirections. Pesticide applicator certification is a legal requirement for thoseapplying restricted-use pesticides and or general-use products in acommercial situation. Licensing is required by both state andfederal regulations, and the responsibility for providing thistraining has been given to the MSU Extension Service. The pesticide label contains pertinent information that should beunderstood and followed when using a pesticide, McDaniel said. Big picture Mississippi farmers do all they can to make a living and sustainthe environment, and the result is good for consumers and theeconomy. Ken Hood, an MSU Extension agricultural economist, said largecommercial farms are key to the United States ability to feed theworld. The first step to becoming an industrialized nation with avibrant economy is to be able to provide the basic needs for yourown population, Hood said. Agriculture provides food andclothing. Once you meet these needs, you can release labor to othersectors of the economy and increase economic development. Third World countries do not have the ability to supply theirpopulation s basic needs, and they rely on these being supplied byU.S. farmers and those of other industrialized nations. We provide what we need plus a lot more, Hood said. Bigproducers are providing for the needs of ourselves and othercountries, and that allows us to release productive units to doother things. -30- Released: Jan. 5, 2012 Contact: Dr. Erick Larson, (662) 325-2701; Dr. Angus Catchot, (662)325-2085; Dr. Ken Hood, (662) 325-2155 Publications may download image at 200 ppi. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China Electromagnetic Interactive Whiteboard , Whiteboard Marker Ink Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Whiteboard Marker Ink today!
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