The Farm Beat: A Founding Father of the Green Revolution

I've written several obituaries about people who made great contributions to agriculture, but none could match the Associated Press story last week on the death of Norman Borlaug. He was a Texas A&M professor whose work on increasing wheat yields led to the Green Revolution in agriculture around the world. One person quoted said Borlaug "saved more lives than any man in human history." Perhaps a billion, the story says.

The work of Borlaug and others transformed the production of wheat, rice and other staples. Critics, however, said this required overuse of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. The debate will go on, no doubt.

Borlaug had an indirect effect on our area, which grows mostly nuts, fruits and feed crops. Many growers agree that chemicals are vital to efficient production of affordable food. Yet many of the same growers also see the benefit of nonchemical practices. They might use dairy cow manure to fertilize the soil for the next feed crop, or chipped branches from walnut trees to build up soil structure. Many also monitor pest populations and spray only when it's truly necessary.

When it comes to the Green Revolution, it's not all black and white.