A little science, a little soil, and a whole lot of common sense.
Out here in North Texas, we spend a lot of time under big skies. We work the land, tend to animals, fix fences, and maybe enjoy a cold drink by a bonfire when the day’s work is done. Farming has a way of making things real simple: what you put into the land eventually makes its way into your food, your water, and your family.
That’s why we care so deeply about pesticides, and why we choose organic practices here at Copper Branch Farm in Sadler, Texas.
Pesticides: They’re More Common Than Folks Realize
Most Americans are exposed to pesticides every single day through food, water, and even the air we breathe. Conventional crops are routinely treated with chemical pesticides, and those chemicals don’t always stay put. They can drift through the air, run off into water, or hang around as residues on food.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reported that pesticide residues are detected in about half of foods tested, including chemicals like organophosphates, neonicotinoids, and pyrethroids (U.S. Food & Drug Administration [FDA], 2022). Some of those residues even exceed legal limits. That’s not exactly the kind of seasoning most folks are looking for at supper.
And it’s not just plants. Pesticides used on animal feed can accumulate in animal tissues—especially organs—working their way right up the food chain.
Kids, Glyphosate, and a Wake-Up Call
Pesticide exposure doesn’t just come from food. These chemicals are sprayed on lawns, parks, playgrounds, golf courses—you name it! One study found that children had higher levels of glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup) in their bodies than adults, likely due to environmental exposure and differences in how kids metabolize chemicals (Hyland et al., 2019).
Now here’s the hopeful part: that same study found that after just one week of eating organic food, glyphosate levels in families dropped dramatically. One week. That’s all it takes for your body to make substantial progress in filtering out these environmental poisons.
Long-Term Health Concerns We Can’t Ignore
Scientific research has linked pesticide exposure to a range of serious, long-term health effects, including:
- Cancer
- Neurodevelopmental impacts, especially from prenatal exposure
- Neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s
- Autism spectrum disorders
- Lower cognitive function
Studies following children exposed to organophosphate pesticides before birth have shown measurable changes in brain activity and cognition years later (Rauh et al., 2012). Other research has linked residential and workplace pesticide exposure to faster progression of Parkinson’s disease (Wang et al., 2019).
One particularly eye-opening long-term study found that children with higher glyphosate levels at age five were more likely as young adults to have larger waistlines, higher blood pressure, altered glucose and fat metabolism, and elevated liver enzymes, suggesting increased risk of metabolic and liver disease later in life (Parvez et al., 2018).
That’s not the kind of inheritance any of us want to pass down.
It’s Not Just About People. It’s About the Land
Pesticides don’t discriminate. When synthetic insecticides like neonicotinoids, organophosphates, and pyrethroids are sprayed, they often kill more than just the target pests. Beneficial insects (the ones that naturally keep pest populations in check) take a hit, too.
Organic farming works with nature instead of against it. By protecting beneficial insects, organic systems encourage natural pest control and healthier ecosystems overall (Mäder et al., 2002).
Today, pollinators, especially honeybees, are a big concern. Research shows that organically managed honeybees have stronger immune systems and healthier gene activity than bees raised in conventional systems (Di Pasquale et al., 2013). Even more concerning, some studies have found that the so-called “inactive” ingredients in herbicides, like surfactants, can be more harmful to bees than glyphosate itself (Mesnage et al., 2014).
Turns out, “inactive” doesn’t mean harmless.
So, Why Does Organic Matter to Us, Specifically?
Organic farming isn’t just about what we don’t use—it’s about what we protect. By farming organically, we reduce pesticide exposure for:
- Our customers
- Our family
- Our farm workers
- Our soil, water, and pollinators
At Copper Branch Farm, our commitment to organic practices is a promise to steward this land responsibly, to raise food we’re proud to feed our own families, and to leave things better than we found them.
It’s honest work, rooted in science, tradition, and a little Texas grit. And at the end of the day, when the tractor’s parked and supper’s on the table, that feels like the right way to farm.
References
Di Pasquale, G., Salignon, M., Le Conte, Y., Belzunces, L. P., Decourtye, A., Kretzschmar, A., Suchail, S., Brunet, J. L., & Alaux, C. (2013). Influence of pollen nutrition on honey bee health: Do pollen quality and diversity matter? PLoS ONE, 8(8), e72016. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0072016
Food and Drug Administration. (2022). Pesticide residue monitoring program: Fiscal year report. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Hyland, C., Bradman, A., Gerona, R., Patton, S., Zakharevich, I., Gunier, R. B., Klein, K., Waller, E., & Eskenazi, B. (2019). Organic diet intervention significantly reduces urinary glyphosate levels in U.S. children and adults. Environmental Research, 171, 568–573. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2019.01.024
Mäder, P., Fließbach, A., Dubois, D., Gunst, L., Fried, P., & Niggli, U. (2002). Soil fertility and biodiversity in organic farming. Science, 296(5573), 1694–1697. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1071148
Mesnage, R., Defarge, N., Spiroux de Vendômois, J., & Séralini, G. E. (2014). Major pesticides are more toxic to human cells than their declared active principles. BioMed Research International, 2014, 179691. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/179691
Parvez, S., Gerona, R. R., Proctor, C., Friesen, M., Ashby, J. L., Reiter, J. L., Lui, Z., Winchester, P. D., & Eskenazi, B. (2018). Glyphosate exposure in pregnancy and shortened gestational length: A prospective Indiana birth cohort study. Environmental Health, 17(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-018-0367-0
Rauh, V. A., Perera, F. P., Horton, M. K., Whyatt, R. M., Bansal, R., Hao, X., Liu, J., Barr, D. B., Slotkin, T. A., & Peterson, B. S. (2012). Brain anomalies in children exposed prenatally to a common organophosphate pesticide. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(20), 7871–7876. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1203396109
Wang, A., Costello, S., Cockburn, M., Zhang, X., Bronstein, J., & Ritz, B. (2019). Parkinson’s disease risk from ambient exposure to pesticides. European Journal of Epidemiology, 26(7), 547–555. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-011-9574-4