Green Farms: Behind the Green Cash

Industrial farming today has left many Americans wondering: behind the green plants and sweet fruit, what dangers lurk?

There are several good aspects to an industrialized agricultural society, but there are many negative ones as well. The aspect that has particularly seemed to grab Americans' attention today is the use of pesticides. Farmers and companies invest in the use of these treatments to preserve crop outcome and provide us with cleaner, insect-free fruit and vegetables...but at what cost? When you pick up an apple in the grocery store, do you know what chemicals are residing on the apple's skin? It is for this reason that many people and families have chosen to buy organic. With that, I am not promoting the purchase of organic products, nor am I claiming it to be a bad idea. It is merely a personal preference.

Another seemingly negative aspect of industrial farming is the use of growth hormones. I find this topic particularly controversial. On one side, we have the use of growth hormones in animals such as chickens to produce larger eggs and more meat. This brings a bigger profit for companies and farmers themselves. However, we face the fact of knowing that our eggs and chicken meat are not completely "natural." This is a bothering fact for some, while others are not concerned at all. Another place to find hormones is in cows, especially dairy cows. I personally prefer organic milk over non-organic milk. Whether it is the fact that I believe it tastes better or that it is better for one's body does not matter in the industrial society. After all, my opinions are a matter of just that: opinion.

One of my final points to make about this industrial farming movement is how we seem to focus on merely the negative aspects of today's farming. We must compare today's farms to that of even 20, or 50 years ago. Then, we weren't making nearly as much money off of agricultural business as today, most likely due to advanced farming techniques. We also knew little about the dangers or pesticides or certain processes in such times. Perhaps with more knowledge and research, America can move toward a better farming system. We have come quite far in the few decades; maybe there is hope after all.