Herbicide use still rising in United States

Agricultural chemicals, mostly in form of herbicides, are now widely used throughout the whole United States. The latest report for United States says how the use of herbicides has increased steadily in the last 10 or so years. The data shows that herbicide use has grown by 383 million pounds in 12 years from 1996 to 2008, and 46 percent of that increase happened during 2007 and 2008, mostly due to higher corn and other crops price. Current numbers for the U.S. say how herbicides account for about 70% of all agricultural pesticide use.

While the use of herbicides still looks to be the big problem in U.S. agriculture the use of insecticides has decreased by 64 million pounds since 1996. If you wonder why Americans use fewer insecticides now then they used to the answer lies in the genetically modified crops that is resistant to insect attacks.

Given all of this you have to wonder what exactly do we eat each day. I mean crops are being heavy sprayed by herbicides that do not harm them since they are herbicide-resistant but are our organisms herbicides resistant too, and what health effects can such food have in people?

Weeds are tougher and tougher to kill, farmers want higher crops, and in the end this results in excessive herbicide use that creates not only pollution problem for our environment but also has negative effect on human health since this food full of herbicides is served as food on our tables. Herbicides are not only highly toxic there is also the concern of their possible carcinogenicity but this sadly isn't enough to stop the growth in their use.

Science surely has to come up with the better way to control weeds than the excessive use of herbicides.

Weeds destroyed by herbicides.