(quoted from post at 14:52:45 08/17/18) I've stayed out of these discussions for years, they get out of control and the discussion is no longer enjoyable, raises the attention of the moderators and causes in-fighting amongst many here.
When I was real young, in the late 1960's, my father had spray applied some kind of pesticide to get rid of flies in the barn we converted to a stable. Place was well kept, but the insects were a problem from what I gather.
I do not know what it was, the chemical that is. I was in contact with it on the wood, it almost KILLED me. I was hospitalized and had to fight for my life. I'm sure it was a lot less regulated, more toxic and who knows what else 50 years ago.
If anyone thinks any of this stuff is good for people, I disagree. I don't condemn farmers or others for conventional/modern farming practices, but hope someday, this is no longer an issue. Weed killer, pesticides etc, bother me a whole lot more than chemical fertilizer, none of which I ever need to use in my gardens. On a small scale, it seems you have a lot more mobility to avoid using these kinds of products. Mass producing food for a mega population, if there was a solution for that kind of scale of farming, it would be happening. Unfortunately, it's the dilemma we face and fighting and arguing about it does nothing to contribute towards a solution, it just pits good people against each other and that is not what farmers are about, at least where I come from.