As I helped Irene pack vegetables at their stall, my mind was racing with the idea that one of the scientists was sabotaging his own research.

�Sorry I blamed your family for spraying my mom�s crops, Irene. I guess when bad things happen, it�s easy to blame someone you don�t really know.�

�Don�t sweat it. We haven�t sprayed anything on our crops since we became an organic farm.�

�Organic farmers don�t use chemicals like pesticides or fertilizers to grow their crops.�

�Doesn�t that make it harder to keep the plants healthy and stop bugs from eating them?�

�We use other methods to keep crops healthy.�

�And we create a smaller carbon footprint while doing it. When we use pesticides, that impact is permanent and can travel well beyond the farm.�

Spraying pesticides is an effective way for farmers to quickly protect their plants from insects, and herbicides kill weeds that make it harder to grow crops. We can�t see these chemicals, but they can be harmful to people and animals too.

Because pesticides are made from chemicals, they stay in the environment for a long time. Rain can wash the pesticides away from the fields into nearby rivers and lakes.

Once they are in the water system, the chemicals are absorbed by animals and plants living there. When predators feed on them, they absorb the chemicals too and might get sick or even die.

�Since organic farms don�t use pesticides, we can be sure we are not harming the animals or environment around our crops.�

�And you can be sure you�re not getting any chemicals in your food too!�

�That�s why you were suspicious of my mom�s crop. You thought they were using pesticides or had genetically modified the corn and could harm the land.�