Sustainable agriculture: Perspectives from industry

Excerpt

Editor's Note: Following the SWCS-sponsored conference, “The Promise of Low-Input Agriculture, A Search for Sustainability and Profitability,” and in planning this special issue of the JSWC, the editorial staff asked representatives of several agricultural chemical firms the following question: How does your company define sustainable agriculture and what are you doing in terms of research to meet those goals? Following are the responses received from each of these industry representatives.

Profitability under free enterprise

Sustainable agriculture is a broad term open to interpretation by anyone who addresses the subject. Let us refer to it here as that level of productivity that allows the agricultural enterprise to be economically competitive.

Advance planning is necessary. By knowing each field, we can use only those chemicals needed, resulting in the best economics and maximum safety to the environment. BASF long ago recognized the waste inherent in treating the soil (pre-emergent) versus treating the weeds (post-emergent). As a companion practice, we advocated narrow rows in soybeans for a quicker canopy and reduced weed competition.

We also found that splitting the application of herbicide and applying the first spray when weeds were smaller was effective; sometimes, the …