How is Organic Cotton Different From Conventional Cotton?
-Organic Cotton farmers use untreated and nongenetically modified seeds – Organic Cotton builds strong soil through crop rotation and retains water more efficiently through increased organic matter -Organic Cotton controls the growth of weeds by hand hoeing rather than using herbicides -Organic Cotton maintains a balance between pests and their natural predators through beneficial insects, instead of using harmful pesticides -Organic Cotton relies on the seasonal freeze for defoliation rather than using toxic chemicals 55 million pounds of pesticides were sprayed on the 12.8 million acres of conventional cotton grown in the U.S. in 2003 (4.3 pounds/ acre), ranking cotton third behind soybeans and corn in total amount of pesticides sprayed. (USDA) Conventional Cotton uses approximately 25% of the world’s insecticides and more than 10% of the pesticides (including herbicides, insecticides, and defoliants).(Allan Woodburn) It takes roughly one-third of a pound of chemicals (pesticides and
