Apr 01, 2010
WASHINGTON, DC – The contributions of crop protection products to American agriculture and the food supply can be witnessed nearly everywhere - and during the Jewish holiday of Passover a fine example can be cited. As part of ancient traditions surrounding Passover, taking place through next Tuesday, April 6, Jewish celebrants abstain from bread and other leavened food products during the eight-day period. During that period, wheat is typically only used and consumed in the form of matzo, an unleavened type of bread made without yeast. Crop protection products, such as those produced and distributed by the member companies of CropLife America (CLA), play a key role in the production of wheat – the important grain found in matzo during Passover and in nearly all other bread products.
The wheat found in matzo is a major crop in modern agriculture. U.S. farmers planted 59.13 million acres of wheat last year, producing 2.2 billion bushels of the grain. Of that, 896 million bushels were ground and used to produce flour.
“As food production continues to increase and growers work to feed a growing world population, the use of crop protection products and other modern agriculture practices are vital,” said Jay Vroom, president and CEO of CLA. “An important crop such as wheat, which is used in many forms, requires maximum crop yield so that everyone has access to an affordable supply of food.”
Out of the 59 million acres of wheat planted last year, over 49 million acres were harvested. Without the use of crop protection products, what production would be reduced. Research conducted by the Crop Protection Research Institute (CPRI) found that wheat crops suffered a 25 percent yield loss when using hand weeding, in comparison to the application of herbicides, which encourage maximum yield. CPRI also found that a significant component of wheat crop yields can be attributed to the application of fungicides on the crop, accounting for an additional $106 million in wheat produced.
These data demonstrate that the wheat eaten almost every day in the average diet, especially during such an important holiday as Passover, is a vital part of U.S. agriculture and its maximum production and growth is important. Through the use of crop protection products, the grain can continue to be an important and vital part of our food.
