Ask any American farmer and they'll tell you that the business of farming is like no other. The days are
longer, the risks of absolute disaster are higher and the work actually doubles as a lifestyle. Like all
entrepreneurs, though, the farmer has a bottom line to maintain and a tendency to view government
regulation as a barrier to progress and profit. And, who would blame them? Large livestock and dairy
operations may spend thousands of dollars each year implementing management practices prescribed
to protect air and water quality. They deal with intrusive audits and uncertainty over what state
conservation agencies or the EPA will decide to regulate next. In short, government serves to make
their risky business even more risky... and more costly.
The reality, though, is that the ecosystems that farmers rely on to grow their crops and feed their
animals are sensitive to the wastes, chemicals and nutrients generated by or used in agricultural
systems. Without rules as to how, when and where manure can be applied to crops and how chemicals
can and can't be used, the costs now borne by regulated farmers would undoubtedly be borne by
society as a whole in the form of unviable water supplies and decreased biodiversity. This wouldn't
happen because farmers are stubbornly indifferent to environmental issues, but simply because the
profit motivation would supersede any "warm and fuzzy" consideration of nature.
For sure, most farmers recognize the value of preserving soil, water and ecosystem critters and have
made tremendous strides in the past few decades to produce more food for global consumers while
simultaneously causing less damage. But, as Earth Day has arrived, a reminder of the balance that
regulators seek to strike between productivity and protection may be needed to soften the blow of
higher costs and smaller paychecks.
By many accounts, American agriculture will lead the charge to rebuild the domestic "production"
economy in the United States. Food demand in developing economies worldwide will call upon our
farmers to produce more safe, high-quality food than current seed and production technology will allow.
As more and more entrepreneurs are lured into the increasingly lucrative world of agriculture, pressures
to preserve environmental quality will mount quickly. Though government regulation isn't always
designed or implemented in the most efficient way, its goals are noble and necessary. The longstanding
iconic image of "the American farmer" will persist well into the future. Our success in feeding the world,
though, will depend on the maintenance of healthy, vital ecosystems, just as it always has.