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MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATION NO. 1065, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



be illustrated by the enormous scope of weed- 

 control operations in this country each year. Cul- 

 tural, mechanical, ecological, and other bio- 

 environmental methods of weed control are used 

 on about 365 million acres of intertilled and drill- 

 seeded crops each year. In addition, nonchemical 

 methods of weed control are used on most of the 

 more than 1 billion acres of forage and grazing 

 land. 



Farmers supplement nonchemical methods of 

 control with chemical methods. In 1966, herbicides 

 were used on about 120 million acres of land. Each 

 year herbicides are being applied to about 35 per- 

 cent of the national cultivated crop acreage. 



Herbicides have been used under soil and 

 climatic conditions not previously explored, which 

 resulted in most of the problems associated with 

 the use of herbicides. 



Far better information is urgentty needed on 

 the fate of herbicides in soils, plants, water, and 

 air, including the cultural practices and climatic 

 conditions that incur a modifying influence. The 

 residual toxicity of herbicides on succeeding crops 

 is in many instances unpredictable. 



Effort to develop superior herbicides with better 

 specificity and fewer adverse residual or side 

 effects must go on apace. There is an urgent need 

 for better herbicides to control water weeds with- 

 out adverse effects on fish life, domestic use, or 

 recreation potential of the water. 



Many of the serious problems from use of 

 herbicides stem from drift to nontarget areas. 

 Concentrated effort is needed on engineering, 

 chemical, and biological principles to develop 

 better techniques to minimize drift. The physical 

 nature of herbicide materials may be improved 

 to abate drift. 



Better information is needed to guide disposal 

 of herbicide containers and unused herbicides. 



There is a real need to develop more feasible 

 weed control techniques that involve nonconven- 

 tional chemicals. For example, a chemical that 

 was specific in inhibiting pollen production only 

 on ragweed or only on cheatgrass would be a 

 tremendous boon. Selective, specific, nonpersistent, 

 low-toxicity chemicals that stimulate or inhibit 

 weed seed germination would have a revolu- 

 tionary effect on the development of safe, effective 

 methods of weed control. 



Economic Intelligence and Research 



There is an immediate need for periodic na- 

 tional, regional, and State surveys of waste 

 problems. These economic surveys should include 

 general and special surveys. The general surveys 

 should be designated to yield comprehensive infor- 

 mation on the kind, location, and seriousness of 

 a broad range of waste problems. Special surveys 

 should be designed to provide information on 

 specific pollutants as radionuclides, chemical air 

 pollutants, airborne materials, sediments, plant 

 nutrients, inorganic salts and minerals, organic 

 wastes, infectious agents and allergens, exotic 

 organic chemicals, and thermal pollutants. These 

 special surveys should be designed to provide in- 

 formation on economic effects, abatement costs, 

 existing institutional control arrangements, etc. 



Economic surveys would highlight critical 

 problems requiring studies of greater depth. Case 

 studies are needed to determine the socioeconomic 

 relationships in selected problem areas. These 

 studies would serve to trace the economic implica- 

 tions for selected problems, to specify feasible 

 alternatives for solution, and to provide informa- 

 tion for the determination of rational com- 

 promises between production efficiencies and 

 quality of the environment. 



There is a continuing need for research to 

 facilitate changes in our institutional structures. 

 There are serious problems of economic adjust- 

 ments to meet changing standards in the entire 

 area of environmental quality. Local ordinances 

 and court actions have caused abrupt cessation of 

 agricultural operations in some areas. The estab- 

 lishment of water and air control standards may 

 influence the method of waste disposal. Sub- 

 stantial financial burdens could be imposed on 

 agriculture. 



Thus, there is an imperative need to generate 

 information on the economic implications of de- 

 cisions made, the alternative means of regulation, 

 and the alternative adjustment possibilities for 

 affected firms and industries. The research must 

 be based on expanded knowledge of the control 

 programs in existence and those that are emerging 

 under Federal, State, and local regulatory au- 

 thorities and financial arrangements. This infor- 

 mation should be supplemented by information on 

 the organization of firms and the structure of 

 relevant industries and markets. It is probable 

 that some types of regulation may influence pat- 



