It was on this day back in 1962 that Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring was published, starting what many call the modern environmental movement and the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The book became highly controversial as it pointed fingers at poor agricultural practices being used, specifically the widespread spraying of DDT and identified some of the horrific consequences to the wildlife and the environment. The book is now over a half-century old but it is still being talked about and heavily debated. In fact, my daughter is having to read the book right now in college for her air toxicity class.
When the book first hit the shelves back in the fall of 1962 it became an instant topic of debate and controversy. Reactions to it were immediate and strong. The author’s best friend called it “the poison book.” A spokesperson for the agricultural chemical industry called it “…gross distortions of the actual facts, completely unsupported by scientific, experimental evidence….” Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas called it “…the most important chronicle of this century for the human race.” Today we call the book—Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring—the origin of the modern environmental movement.
In 1959 Carson noticed the bird populations in and around her area were dramatically changing and she believed it was linked to the heavy aerial spraying of DDT that was being used to kill mosquitoes and fire ants. So she wrote a letter, that was picked up and published in one of the large newspapers, that attributed the recent decline in bird populations—in her words, the “silencing of birds”—to pesticide overuse. The same year, 1957, 1958, and 1959 crops of U.S. cranberries were found to contain high levels of the herbicide aminotriazole and the sale of all cranberry products was halted.
Many of her closest friends and colleagues say she didn’t want to write Silent Spring. She wanted to keep studying and writing about the beauty and wonder of nature. But friends kept telling her about the deaths of wildlife after airplanes sprayed their fields and forests with insecticides. Unable to find anyone else who would take up the challenge, Carson dug in. She spent years gathering information about pesticides and their impacts, doing painstaking research to connect the dots. Her conclusion: the heavy spraying of pesticides was poisoning the earth in several locations. Interestingly, Carson never called for an outright ban on DDT. She said in Silent Spring that even if DDT and other insecticides had no environmental side effects, their indiscriminate overuse was counterproductive because it would create insect resistance to pesticides, making them useless in eliminating the target insect populations
Although agricultural interests worked hard to discredit Carson, the overwhelming response to the book and the caution that it urged changed the world of agriculture forever. Many critics repeatedly said Carson was calling for the elimination of all pesticides, but she had made it clear she was not advocating this but was instead encouraging responsible and carefully managed use with an awareness of the chemicals’ impact on a biological ecosystem. Silent Spring was eventually named one of the 25 greatest science books of all time by the editors of Discover magazine.
Fast forward to today and there is a massive wave of talk and misinformation about our food supply and how our crops are being grown. Some of the talk is accurate but a ton seems to me to be misinformation. I worry that in the end, agriculture could be guided more by the media and misinformation than real truths. We are certainly starting to hear more talk in Washington about agriculture and how our practices are negatively impacting overall health. Personally, I don’t know anyone in agriculture that thinks their farming practices may be hurting human health, and if it is, I suspect most would be willing to change for the betterment of our fellow man. I hope that sooner-than-later some real truths can be discovered and detailed that help bring agriculture and health together on the same page.
Jillian Michaels was on CNBC this week and has recently testified in front of Congress. Take a moment and listen to the interview. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions. I just wanted to bring to everyone’s attention that the mainstream media is on the bandwagon and our leaders in Washington are soon going to be asked and pressured to make more and more changes. If you want to keep the farm around for future generations I suggest being proactive and working in that direction… even if you don’t fully agree. Remember, as far back as time goes, “The world moves in the direction of the stories it loves and believes in.” Click HERE to see the Jillian Michaels interview, listen until the end, it’s about a 5 minute interview.
