Bias in pesticide rebuttal
Oct. 3 edition of The Capital had a letter from Kyle Kunkler who irresponsibly attacked Gerald Winegrad’s recommendation in his column on the dangers of pesticides that agriculture should follow the lead of organic farmers by trying to eliminate or greatly reduce use of synthetic chemical pesticides. Instead, Winegrad advocated the use of natural, bio-based practices. The demeaning tone of Kunkler toward such organic practices aroused my suspicion as such practices offer a contrast to the increasing reliance on herbicides on 250 million acres of U.S. cropland.
I spent but a few minutes Googling Kunkler and quickly ascertained that he conveniently left out that he was the Director of Government Affairs for the American Soybean Association. The industry he lobbies for uses massive amounts of pesticides, particularly dangerous herbicides, as well as many tons of water polluting nutrients. In fact, 98% of the nearly 90 million acres planted in soybeans is dosed with herbicides and 20% with insecticides.
Amazingly, Kunkler attacks expansion of organic farming as being bad for the environment as he alleges that without the millions of pounds of pesticides and nutrients, more farmlands would be used. He leaves out the fact that the soybean industry has increased its acreage by 13 million acres in the last nine years, that’s a land area more than twice the size of Maryland.
These enormous chemical applications are applied solely to increase yield with already 54% of American soybeans exported. Since the 1950s, global soybean production has increased 15-fold.
For 40 years I taught in Anne Arundel County Public Schools and became the coordinator of outdoor and environmental education, running Arlington Echo. I also was one of the founders of the Anne Arundel County Watershed Stewards Academy. I relied on accurate scientific data to develop curriculum to train master stewards on the environmental problems in the Chesapeake watershed and this included how to be an organic gardener.
Such vitriol against sound practices to eliminate/minimize synthetic chemical fertilizers defies credibility. I stand with Winegrad in these common-sense approaches.
Stephen Barry, Davidsonville