Where Do All the Pesticides Go?
By Donella Meadows
–September 25, 1986–
Every year American farmers apply 1.3 million tons of pesticides to their fields.
When pesticides are sprayed by airplane — and 65% of them are — less than half the chemical hits the target field. The rest disintegrates in the air or falls somewhere else. Of the pesticide that does reach the field, far less than one [...]
A Farm That Thrives Without Chemicals
By Donella Meadows
–September 4, 1986–
Wouldn’t it be nice to hear, for a change, about a Midwest family farm that is not in trouble?
Meet Dick and Sharon Thompson, of Boone, Iowa. They have worked their 300-acre farm, the one on which Dick was born, for 29 years now. They’ve raised four children. One son works with them, another has his own [...]
Super-Tractors, Super-Cows, Super-Farms
By Donella Meadows
–July 3, 1986–
The super-tractor of the future will have sensor beams, sweeping out 20 yards ahead as the tractor moves forward. The beams will detect soil nutrients and feed the information to the computer in the cab. Taking ground speed into account, the computer will issue instructions to the fertilizer mixer in the rear. As the tractor passes [...]
