USDA forecast for chemicals on the farm

Looking into the future, the USDA's "Report and Recommendations on Organic Farming" states: "The increasing cost of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and energy inputs and/or their uncertain availability may lead to increased organic farming in the future. As input price relationships change, some farmers, especially the mixed crop-livestock farmers or those operating small farms, may find organic farming just as economical or even more so than chemical-intensive farming. Further impetus to increased interest in organic farming may be brought about by the increasing public concern for the adverse effects of conventional agriculture on the environment. A large number of chemical pesticides have already been banned from use in agriculture. The use of pesticides and their effects on human life are highly controversial issues. If more agricultural chemicals used in conventional agriculture are banned and not replaced with effective and less toxic compounds, many farmers may have to shift to an alternative production system, including the use of organic methods."