Great Bend Tribune
Published January 30, 2022
As of January 25 our area is still in moderate drought. The Southwest portion of Kansas is seeing a continuing expansion of extreme drought. Things aren’t looking good for improving soil moisture over the week or so, however, the portions of Northwest Kansas receiving over a foot of snow were helped but not enough to eliminate the drought. The six to ten-day outlook (February 2 to 6) indicates we are predicted to have a 40 to 50% chance of below-normal temperatures and a leaning towards to 33 to 40% below normal precipitation. The eight to fourteen-day outlook (February 4 to 10) indicates normal to slight above normal temperatures and a 40 to 50% chance of below-normal precipitation. Not the forecast we need for the winter wheat crop as we head towards spring planting.
The area is heading into the time of year when producers are applying herbicide and fertilizer to the 2022 wheat crop and preparing to put 2022 summer crops in the ground. The reality is producers need pesticides at their disposal for insect, disease, and especially weed control. While pesticides in some form have existed for several thousand years, the age of synthetic pesticides started after WWII. The number of pesticides has exploded over the last 40-plus years and at the same time our understanding of pest control has expanded far beyond just applying chemicals. What has changed over the last fifty years?
· When pesticides were first developed, they were viewed as a panacea, first for insect control and then weed control. They were used fairly indiscriminately and often as we thought we could eliminate problems. DuPont’s slogan was better living through chemistry. It seemed a “Golden Age” was upon us through these chemicals. However, through our lack of understanding of the environment and the possible effects of these chemicals on off-target species, including people, we ran into problems.
· The first industry and public real awareness came with the publication in 1962 of “Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson detailing the effects of insecticide on birds in New England. More followed including almost losing all Bald Eagles in the lower 48 states, illness, cancer, and even death through contaminated ground and surface waters, and over time producers noticed pesticides losing their effectiveness.
· An event that not directly tied to pesticides but that caught the nation’s attention occurred in 1969 when the Cuyahoga River actually caught fire in Cleveland Ohio. All of these events along with public pressure resulted in the formation of the EPA, the Environmental Protection Agency, in 1970 by the Nixon Administration as well as the first Earth Day.
· Scientists and politicians of both parties worked to develop legislation and regulations to establish more stringent procedures for approving pesticides to ensure their effectiveness and safety in the environment.
This is an extremely condensed version of events. Next week, what exactly did we do and where are we now?