ABSTRACT
Agricultural chemicals, from fertilizers to pheromones, help make US agriculture the most productive in the world. Public demand expressed through members of Congress the last couple of decades caused ever-more-strict federal regulations on development and use of agricultural chemicals. President Reagan's appointment of a cabinet-level committee chaired by Vice-President George Bush with a mission for reducing burdensome regulations, gave an unmistakable signal to the agencies. Good basic biological research done primarily by public institutions, such as the Land Grant Universities, usually provides the foundation for development of an effective product. The Agricultural Extension Service in every state has a responsibility for assisting producers in the proper use of chemicals. The USDA state producers' effort to eliminate sulfa drug residues in pork is an example of the kind of cooperation required to maintain availability of chemicals so important to modern food production.
