. Cranberries; : the national cranberry magazine. Cranberries. (^(iso©[|]ms. EPA CROP DAMAGE RESEARCH MAY INCREASE FARM EARNINGS The American farmer may end up with a substantial increase in farm earnings, thanks to new EPA research into crop damage from air pollution. This special research pro- gram, using methods more closely approximating real-world agricul- tural conditions than ever before, is investigating such subjects as the impact of (1) atmospheric pol- lutants on the rate of organic decomposition and the natural pro- duction of nitrogen fertilizer in soil; (2) acidic rain on plant n
. Cranberries; : the national cranberry magazine. Cranberries. (^(iso©[|]ms. EPA CROP DAMAGE RESEARCH MAY INCREASE FARM EARNINGS The American farmer may end up with a substantial increase in farm earnings, thanks to new EPA research into crop damage from air pollution. This special research pro- gram, using methods more closely approximating real-world agricul- tural conditions than ever before, is investigating such subjects as the impact of (1) atmospheric pol- lutants on the rate of organic decomposition and the natural pro- duction of nitrogen fertilizer in soil; (2) acidic rain on plant nutrients and plant-soil changes; and (3) lead, mercury, and cadmium on the growth and metaboUsm of vegeta- tion and domestic animals. The results of these and other studies will form the basis for more accurate assessments of the econ- omic damage of air pollution to agriculture, estimated by EPA sci- entists as ranging from tens to possibly hundreds of millions of dollars lost per year. The improved economic loss figures can then be used, if necessary, as justification for revising air pollutant emission laws to prevent crop damage and increase farm earnings. Air pollution damage to farm crops has been recorded in the United States since the turn of the century. What was once a problem associated only with specific sources of pollutants such as factor- ies and power plants, has evolved into the highly complex pollution problems accompanying urban ex- pansion. In many areas, the contin- ued commercial production of crops has been jeopardized and, in some cases, has ended altogether. Although translating the statis- tics on physical crop damage into actual economic loss figures in- volves a complex set of variables not easily measured, recent years have seen substantial documenta- tion of financial harm from air pollution. A Stanford Research Institute (SRI) nationwide survey (1969-1971) of air pollution dam- age to vegetation showed a United States loss of $150 million in 1970
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