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Public uneducated about ag production, fertilizer use |
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By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas Edition |
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October 31, 2002 -- The publics' perception of agriculture is all wet ... no pun intended. According to Dr. Jay Lehr of the Potash Corporation in Columbus, Ohio, the general public has no idea of what is really happening on farms across the nation. Speaking to a full house at the South Texas Farm and Ranch Show last week in Victoria, Lehr told producers what he has discovered in the past 15 years of working in environmental science and with the general public. "In the last 15 years, it occurred to me that the public no longer knows what farming and ranching is all about. The wonderful image we (producers) used to have in this field of just being the best that America has to offer has been lost. One hundred years ago, 25 percent of us were in agriculture. Today, only 2.5 percent of us are," said Lehr. Not only does the urban community misunderstand agriculture, but he said even the rural population has largely lost sight of the truth. "For 15 years, I've been trying to explain to people that farmers are the best environmental stewards of the land there are." Due to the expertise of farmers and the correct use of the land, forests and wildlife habitats have been spared, he claimed. "All the environmental scare stories you hear about agricultural chemicals are 99 percent false. Farmers are not going to over fertilize their land and put money in some river and stream," explained Lehr. The Potash Corporation emerged as the leader of educational pursuits during a fertilizer conference in San Antonio last year. All companies present were in agreement that there was a huge need for public education concerning fertilizer, according to Lehr. In interviews conducted in Chicago and Washington, various people were queried about their knowledge concerning potash and its uses. "No one had a clue what potash is. Very few people knew that the three primary fertilizers were nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. They had no idea where they came from. They didn't know that they were natural products that were mined from the earth ... that we just put back on the crops," said Lehr. According to the Potash Corporation, the entire agricultural industry should take the lead concerning education the public, with everyone involved. "If the 2.5 percent of us that make our life in agriculture want to continue doing that in North America for decades to come, we're going to have to participate," explained Lehr. Unlike what many "environmental" groups want people to believe, fertilizer is not toxic, and should be explained as "crop nutrients" or "plant food," said Lehr. "In the last 40 years with agricultural chemicals, primarily fertilizer, we have increased our yield three- and four-fold," said Lehr. What most people don't understand is that farmers have not had to use any additional land to produce these increases in crops, due to the great land conservation stewards farmers have proven to be. "The message is ... we're trying to feed the world. There's six billion people and a lot of them are still not properly nourished, but with the ingenuity that we show in agriculture, today, we're coming closer and closer to being able to feed the world as good a diet as we (in North America) have," he said. Another myth Lehr spoke about concerned the fact that fertilizer use peaked in in 1980, and producers are using "less and less" fertilizer, rather than "more and more." Most of the public has no idea that producers actually test their soil and work with Extension agents and labs to make sure how much nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus is needed in their soil. Once this is determined, that is the amount that is placed back into the soil to replace the depletion. In fact, producers do so well at farming they don't have to take over public golf courses, soccer fields and public parks to produce the food needed to feed the public, he cited. "They (general public) worry about urban sprawl ... housing developments that move out and take over farmland. That's largely because we don't need that farmland. "Most people have no idea how little we pay for our food. It's only about 10 to 11 percent of our family budget. In the developing world, they spend more than 50 percent, and in Europe, it's 18 to 20 percent," said Lehr. In his opinion, the groups making the most noise concerning how "toxic" chemicals are to food crops are getting the most publicity because of the push they put into the public relations. The Potash Corporation has developed a website for education and educators, "Fertile Minds," and is sending speakers into schools to educate elementary students on the use of fertilizers and what is actually happening in their world. The corporation is asking everyone connected with agriculture to devote one hour a week, talking about the good things that are happening, rather than the negative outlooks usually heard by the public. (For more information and to request a free compact disk, contact: www.fertile-minds.org) |
