Conventional
Overview
Food grown on a conventional farm is healthy and safe. Conventional farmers use all of the tools and technology available to help them farm. Conventional grain farmers use synthetic fertilizers and crop protection products like pesticides to grow their crops in a safe, sustainable way.
Conventional farmers use chemicals on their farms.
Conventional livestock farmers may use antibiotics to prevent diseases and medicines if their animals get sick. Beef farmers may use hormones to help their beef cattle grow more efficiently.
Conventional farms use vaccines to help keep livestock healthy.
Farming Practices
In the spring, farmers plant their fields with seeds and fertilizers. The seed may be coated with a seed treatment to protect the seed from insects and diseases.
The summer is when farmers spray their fields for weeds. The fields are also monitored for insects and diseases and sprayed if needed.
Most of the ‘spray’ that comes out of a sprayer is water. Only about one pop can of actual pesticide is sprayed on a football sized field.
The fields can be sprayed to dry out the field so that it is ready for harvest. After harvest, the farmers are busy purchasing inputs such as seed, fertilizers, and chemicals for the upcoming year.
This farmer is spraying the crop to dry it out for harvest.
