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What Teens Say...
Name: Sierra Simpson
Essay Theme: Conservation of Resources |
State: Oklahoma
School: Chisholm Middle School |
Working Cooperatively to
Ensure a Bounty of Food |
Twenty years ago, who would have thought that in 2002, you would
pull into a convenience store to fill up with gasoline and get
a refreshing drink, and that you would be paying more per ounce
for the thirst-quenching water than for the gasoline? We can
live without gasoline; we cannot live without water. How quickly
we forget the importance of our most precious natural resource.
Water
is our most valuable natural resource. Every living thing needs
water to survive. Plants need water for photosynthesis so they
can grow. Animals need water to drink. Many animals depend on
water-based environments for their nutrients, water, shelter,
and space to raise their young. In turn, we consume plants and
animals that depend on clean water to exist.
Many kinds of household, industrial, and agricultural products
wind up in our waterways every day, contaminating the water
for fish and other animals. Nonpoint source pollution has been
known as a major contributor for declining water quality. Typically,
nonpoint source pollution originates from rain and melted snow
flowing over the land. Many pollutants are picked up by the
water such as sediments, fertilizers, pesticides, nutrients,
toxins, and other contaminants. These contaminants threaten
watershed ecosystems as well as drinking water supplies. Agriculture
has been identified as one of the contributors to nonpoint source
pollution through overfertilizing, confined animal-feeding operations,
and poor conservation practices.
Through cooperative efforts by several organizations, agriculture
is cleaning up its image. The Natural Resources Conservation
Service recommends the installation of buffer strips to help
control pollutants. Buffers slow water runoff, trap sediments,
and enhance water infiltration. They also trap fertilizers,
pesticides, bacteria, pathogens, and heavy metals, lessening
the chance these pollutants will reach surface or groundwater
supplies. Conservation buffers protect livestock from harsh
weather, offer a natural habitat for wildlife, and improve fish
habitats. Legislators also support buffer construction as they
will provide monetary incentives to farmers through the 2002
Farm Bill, to establish buffer strips on their farms.
Land-grant universities have conducted studies to modify animals'
diets to help protect the environment. These studies have indicated
that by lowering the amounts of protein and phosphorus that
are fed to poultry and livestock, producers can limit the animals'
waste of nitrogen and phosphorus that may contribute to water
pollution. New technologies, such as ideal protein, potentially
can reduce nitrogen and phosphorus waste by swine and poultry.
This could be a major breakthrough for agriculture producers
who raise animals in confinement. Also, universities are doing
research on value-added products that can be made from the animal
waste.
Ensuring a bounty of food directly depends on the preservation
of our natural resources. Agriculturists are faced with the
challenges of producing economical food products while protecting
our environment. Regardless of where you live, you should be
concerned about environmental issues in your watershed. Education
is the key to prevention. In another 20 years what would you
pay for a thirst-quenching bottle of water?
References:
| Agriculture and the Multilateral Environment
Agreements. 2002. |
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<http:/www.cast-science.org/castpubs.htm> |
| Battle heats up over water quality. 2002.
Progressive Farmer Magazine. |
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September:52-53 |
| Cleaner water through conservation. 2002.
<http://www.epa.govlowIyou/intro.html> |
| National Conservation Buffer Council. 2002.
Environmental challenges, |
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<http:/www.cast-science.org/pubs/animaldietmodif-nr.htm> |
| National Wildlife Federation. 1997. Water
for life, |
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<http://www.nature.coe.int/WGAGR15/agri2e.Ol.doc> |
| U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2002. Conservation
Buffers Work Booklet, |
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USDA Program Aid 161.5, Revised September 2000. |
This essay was part of a 2003 essay contest sponsored by
Council for Agricultural Science & Technology.
Click here to see how essays were
selected.
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