Seeds of discontent

Re: The farm before the storm, Jan. 7

There are a lot of stereotypes about farmers, both organic and conventional. Unfortunately, the author of this article uses tired, one-sided stereotypes of modern farming to make a case for organics.

Modern farming today is more environmentally sustainable than ever. Today’s farmers — no matter how they choose to farm — use their education and experience to make the best choices for their farms so that they are caring for the land and growing healthy crops.

One example of how plant science innovations, such as pesticides and plant biotechnology, have allowed farmers to improve the environment is through the adoption of conservation tillage.

Herbicide-tolerant crops mean that farmers are able to plow their fields less frequently, which reduces erosion and improves the quality of the soil. It also means farmers drive over their fields fewer times, saving up to 194 million litres of fuel and millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases each year.

Scientific advances in agriculture allow farmers to grow more food on less land. In Canada, this saves 35 million acres of land from being converted to farmland. This means forests, native grasses and wetlands are safeguarded for wildlife habitats.

Ultimately, the more productive we can be on existing land, the better it is for the environment.

Pushing organic production methods at the expense of conventional methods won’t benefit the environment or our health.

Canadians should know choosing food grown with modern methods is safe, nutritious, and good for the planet.