White, Leavitt S.

English

Research Papers in Economics

CHEMICALS  IN AGRICULTURE  AND  FOOD
Leavitt S.  White
Public Affairs Department
E. I.  du Pont de Nemours &  Co.
We welcome  the  opportunity to discuss chemicals  in  agriculture.
This  subject  has  attracted  continuing  attention  for  several  years.
Regulatory  legislation  dates  from  the  first  pure  food  and  drug  law
of 1906.
Other  landmark  legislation  was  passed  by  congress  in  1947,
1959,  1964,  1970,  and  1972.  Numerous  judicial  and  regulatory
decisions  have  been  made,  both  at federal  and  state  levels,  estab-
lishing  long-standing  guidelines  for  our  industry.
Today  this  legislation  and  these  regulations  embrace  virtually
every  aspect  of the  development,  manufacture,  handling,  distribu-
tion,  and  use  of  agricultural  chemicals.  Our  industry  is  indeed
regulated.
It  is  inevitable  that  substantial  attention  is  generated  by  any
oversight  or abuse  that involves  these  regulations.  Certainly  the  reg-
ulations  have  been carefully  developed  to meet public  needs.  Where
regulations  may  be  breached,  it  usually  seems  that  someone  has
placed  personal  or  private  gain  ahead  of  the  public  interest.  And
that situation  stimulates  headlines  in  the  press.
The  idea  spreads  that  an  unfortunate  isolated  incident  repre-
sents  normal  practice  or  experience.  Pressure  builds  for  still  more
regulation.  We  should  hardly  be  surprised,  then,  that  our  legis-
lators  and regulators  strive  for methods  to  check  similar  incidents.
We  live  in  an  age  in  which  zero  risk  has  for  some  become  a  major
goal  or  expectation.
My  objective  is to stimulate  some new  concepts,  related  not  only
to  agricultural  chemicals  and  food  but  also  to  regulations  and  to
the attention  these  subjects  receive  in  our daily  press.  We  need  new
perspective.
Let  me  remind  you  of the  dramatic  gains  in  nutrition,  in  farm
and  food  production,  and  in  health  that  have  occurred  within  our
lifetimes.  It  is  important  to  recognize  America's  farm  and  food
record  as  one of the  major success  stories of the  20th century.  Food
is abundant  and dependable  in terms  of safety  and  quality.  Food  is
a  bargain,  shared  by  our  entire  nation.  These  basic  facts  have
established  a  solid  foundation  for  social  and  human  progress.
90Specific  farm and  food gains  are rarely  highlighted  in the  news.
It  is  easy  to overlook  the positive  aspects  of our  food  story.  When
more  people  were  directly  involved  in  farm  operations,  the  impact
of  new  production  ideas  seemed  to  focus  on  food  supply  or  food
variety.
Today,  however,  the  supermarket  is  often  regarded  as  "the
place  where  food  comes  from".  Abundance  and  variety  are  year-
round  characteristics  of  today's  market.  Farms,  fields,  and
orchards  seem  a distant  supply point.  We  need  better  understand-
ing of what is happening  on those farms,  if we  are to  measure  food
progress.
Actually,  observers  know  that  introduction  of  new  technology
has quickened  in  the last  quarter  century,  both  on  the farm  and in
industry.  Agrichemicals  represent  a segment of this new  technology,
providing  farmers  with  new  tools  for  controlling  weeds,  plant
disease,  and  insects.  Each  successful  new  chemical  has  involved
careful  study,  evaluation  and trial-not just  by  a  small  handful  of
laboratory  scientists,  but  also  by  a  very  large  number  of technical
and  practical  people  in  industry,  education,  experiment  stations,
independent  laboratories,  on  farms,  and  in government.
Althogether  the investment  of six  to eight  years  of time  and  up
to  $12  million  is  needed  before  a  major  new  agrichemical  is  intro-
duced.  This  is  a  very  substantial  commitment  for  industry,  which
naturally  seeks  to  improve  sales  and  earnings  through  new
products.
But  the  most  important  gains  are  realized  by  those  who  apply
new  farm  technology,  and  by  the  consumers  who  benefit.  These
gains  are  evident  when  a  farmer  invests  $8  or  $10  per  acre  in  a
crop  protection  chemical,  thereby  boosting  yield  or  quality.  His
crop  may then  be  worth  $30  to $40  more  per acre  at harvest.
Not  so  evident,  yet  even  more  important,  are  the  consumer
dividends.  They  come  in  terms  of  food  abundance,  food  quality,
and  food  costs.  The bounty  so evident  in our supermarkets  depends
on  farm  productivity,  technology,  and  new  ideas  (including  new
agrichemicals)  that  have emerged  in the last quarter  century.
How  can  we  get  these  ideas  across  to  the  public?  How  can  we
build  needed  understanding  on  food  and  agricultural  chemicals?
Some  months  ago  when  population  growth,  food  supply,  and
hunger  were  very  much  in  the  news,  we  developed  a  picture  to
demonstrate  that the  American  family indeed has  a  big appetite for
good  food  and  that  the  family  benefits  from  the  farm  and  food
gains  of recent  years.
91We  published  the picture  in our Du  Pont  Magazine  and  devel-
oped  a wall-sized  food poster which we  offered to science  and  home
economics  teachers  for  classroom  use.  Our  interest  was  in  telling
the  farm  and  food  story to  teachers  and to  students.
We  have  certainly  made  a  start  in  realizing  this  objective,
because  the  poster  has  been  and  continues  to  be  a  very  popular
teaching  tool.  Thousands  have been  distributed  on  a  request  basis.
We  expect teacher  demand  for the poster  to  continue  over  the  next
two  to three  years.
The  food  poster  and  picture  attracted  other  widespread  atten-
tion.  We  released  the  picture  to  the  farm  press,  and  it  was  pub-
lished  in  newsletters,  farm  papers,  and farm  magazines.  We  began
to  ship  our  poster  on  request  to  county  fairs,  civic  and  women's
groups,  dealers'  warehouses,  roadside  markets,  youth  organiza-
tions,  farm  policy  groups,  and countless  others.
We  reprinted  our  original  two-page  article  in  the  Du  Pont
Magazine.  One  of our  salesmen  turned  it  into  a  placemat  for  a
meeting.  Others  picked  up  the  placemat  idea  and  so  our  picture
has  highlighted  farm  and  food  progress  for  thousands  of people  at
farm  and  urban  meetings.  We  look  for  still  broader  use  through
the Farm-City  Council  program during the coming  year.
Daily newspapers  and big-circulation  weeklies  ran the  picture  in
food  stories.  The  World  Book  Encyclopedia  used  it  to  cover  the
story of food in  1975-76.  To  reach  other  audiences,  we  developed  a
short  television  feature  on  our  food  picture.  This  was  warmly
received  and broadcast  by scores of stations.
Our  aim has been  to  help  tell  the  story  of food  and  science  and
farm  technology  to  various  audiences.  We  hope  you  share  our
interest  in the positive  reaction to this story by editors,  broadcaster,
teachers,  farmers,  and  businessmen.
Recently  a  television  network  broadcast  a  food  documentary-
still another  in  a  series  of questioning  or  critical  commentaries  on
food,  health or related  topics.  There  seems  to be  a standard  guide-
line  for  many  programs  like  this.  It  says:  "Accentuate  the  nega-
tive".  Viewers  may  be  concerned  about  possible  added  regulatory
activity  needed  to  provide  safeguards  for  food  quality  or  personal
health.
Zero  risk  is  often  an  implied  need  in  such broadcasts,  but  zero
risk  is  based  on  a  negative  quicksand  premise.  Zero  risk  implies
total  control  by  some  central  authority  over  a  particular  aspect  of
life.
92People  and  TV  broadcasts  that  promote  zero  risk  as  desirable
or  inevitable  are  simply  pushing  the  concept  of  more  central
decision  making and therefore  less individual  responsibility.  This  is
hardly  in  the  tradition  of our  American  democratic  ideals.
May  I  therefore  suggest  an  alternative  approach?
When  farm  and  food  topics  are  being  discussed,  we  in  agri-
business  hope  there  is  time  to  listen  to  the  positive  story,  and  to
accept the  idea that  risks  and benefits  must be  kept  in balance,  as
we  measure  new  technical  inputs  in  modern  life.
Science  and  technology  have  helped  deliver  dramatic  gains  in
farm  productivity,  in  food  bargains,  and  in  personal  health.
Today's  U.S.  consumer  spends  less  of  his  disposable  income  on
food than a quarter  century  ago.  Today's  children  in America  have
an  average  life  expectancy  of  73  years,  compared  with  about  47
years in  1900.
These  are  some  of the  food  and health  data  that can be  related
to agriculture  and  agrichemicals.  We can  underscore  their meaning
with  food  pictures  and food  posters  and  food  placements.
We  need  to broaden  our educational  reach  through  all kinds  of
individual  efforts.  Teaching,  writing,  speaking,  advertising,  and
broadcasting  are  some  of the  tools.  Let us  apply them  to the  need.
Let  us  build  public  understanding  of the  positive  contributions  of
technology.
9394PART  IV
ENERGY  POLICY
9596

CHEMICALS IN AGRICULTURE AND FOOD

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