 |
| Source: Coyote Blog |
 |
| Source: NASS |
Why is this?...
Source: HERE: ""The use of technology in modern agriculture began with the replacement of the horse with modern tractors, combines, and cotton pickers after the turn of the 20th
century. The nextrevolution in crop production began in the 1930s with “hybridization” of crops, or the breeding of
select crops to produce desirable characteristics not typically found in the original crop. As a
result, crop yields have increased from 25 bushels per acre in 1930 to more than 140 bushels
today. During the 1940s came increased availability of fertilizers to further increase crop yields,
and in the 1950s we saw the introduction of herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides to help
control weeds, insects and diseases that can reduce crop growth. In the mid 1990s, the
introduction of food biotechnology helped to increase the quantity and quality of the foods we
grow by making them tolerant of pesticides and preserving nutrients and other desirable traits. As
with other industries, farmers have had much to gain from the availability of computers, software,
satellites, and the Internet. Such technologies enable farmers to practice what is often referred to
as “precision agriculture,” which gives them the ability to more effectively use crop inputs such
as fertilizers, pesticides, tilled or cultivated land, and irrigation water. More effective use of these
inputs means greater crop yield and/or quality, without polluting the environment. Additionally,
since 1930, the time necessary to produce a bushel of corn has decreased from more than 30
minutes to a fraction of a minute in 2002."""
