title: Economic and policy issues of U.S. agricultural pesticide use trends.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This paper discusses U.S. agricultural pesticide use trends from 1964 to 2010 based on estimates developed from USDA surveys, and the influence of economic factors, agricultural policy, and pesticide regulation on aggregate quantities and mix of pesticides used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Synthetic organic pesticide use grew dramatically from the 1960s to the early 1980s, as farmers treated more and more acreage. Use then stabilized, with herbicides applied to about 95% of corn, cotton, and soybean acres, annually. Subsequently, major factors affecting trends were: (1) changes in crop acreage and other economic factors, (2) use of new pesticides that reduced per-acre application rates and/or met more rigorous health and environmental standards, and (3) adoption of genetically engineered insect-resistant and herbicide-tolerant crops.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of pesticides and other control practices responded to economic factors such as input and output markets and agricultural policies. Changing societal values toward pesticide risks and benefits profoundly affected pesticide policy, influencing the pesticides available for use, but only indirectly affecting aggregate quantities used. While the current pesticide regulatory process might have economic inefficiencies, it might be consistent with policy preferences held by much of the public-to reduce pesticide hazards rather than minimize regulatory costs.
authors.affiliation: Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 355 E St, SW, Washington, DC 20024, USA.
authors.forename: Craig D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Osteen
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Cornejo
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture / Q000191:economics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000639:trends; D010571:Pest Control / Q000191:economics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D010575:Pesticides / Q000191:economics* / Q000592:standards; D057766:Policy; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D010575:Pesticides
keywords: FIFRA; Food Quality Protection Act; pesticide regulation; pesticide use