Question 6 Results

What do you think are the most important ethical questions facing agriculture today?

Secondary questions:

Do you think farmers are among the most ethical people in society?

Do you think farmers are less ethical today than they were a generation ago? Briefly explain your answer.

What (if anything) can be done to promote ethical actions/decision making by farmers and other agricultural professionals?


Results:

Total Number of Submissions: 38
Interviewer accessed someone from within the farming community: 19/38
Didn't Specify Occupation :6/38
Interviewee was male: 30/38
Interviewee was female: 3/38
Interviewer did not include interviewee's gender: 5/38

What do you think are the most important ethical questions facing agriculture today?:

Interviewee provided a response that referenced agriculture sustainability, GM crops, pesticides, or other chemicals used in agriculture: 12/38
Interviewee provided a response that referenced food or food security: 6/38
Interviewee provided a response that referenced the treatment of livestock: 5/38
Interviewee provided a response that referenced the ethics of business practices: 7/38

Secondary questions:

Do you think farmers are among the most ethical people in society?:

Interviewee provided a response that reflected a positive view of farmers ethics: 22/38
Interviewee provided a response that reflected a negative view of farmer ethics: 6/38
Uncertain: 4/38

Do you think farmers are less ethical today than they were a generation ago? Briefly explain your answer:

Farmers in the past were more ethical: 17/38
Farmers today are more ethical: 7/38
There hasn't been a change in the ethics of farmers: 4/38

What (if anything) can be done to promote ethical actions/decision making by farmers and other agricultural professionals? :

Business Restrictions:6/38
Education, Communication, Information: 5/38
Not sure/nothing 2/38

Some Highlights to the main question:

The use of pesticides and genetically modified seeds, on how they could eventually be bad for people.

I think the most important ethical questions facing agriculture today deal with the welfare of livestock. I personally do not see anything wrong with the way animals are handled typically. Yes there are some "inhumane" ways of treating animals, but for the most part farmers treat animals ethically. I can also see instances arises with runoff into streams, creeks, etc. when farmers spray.

The most ethical questions in agriculture today are questions about whether farmers are using strategies and tactics in their operation to benefit themselves or to benefit the community, environment, and economy.

There are a lot of ethical questions facing farmers today, but not all of them have answers. What types of sustainable practices should be used? Should GMO crops be used? As stated, some of these questions don't have answers because we are not truly sure of their effects.

One of the biggest issues when it comes to ethics in agriculture is the decline in small family farms. Many families that were once in farming are being forced out because of high prices in land.

To me, the most ethical questions facing agriculture would be trying to produce enough food to feed people, while still trying to leave a valuable piece of land for our future generations.

If we should be letting Monsanto or companies like that take over certain aspects of the industry.

Is it ethical to have only a few major companies processing all of the food consumed in the United States?

The biggest ethical questions in agriculture today involve farmers being conscious of conservation and animal welfare.

The most important thing today would be the future of our environment. How will farming practices today affect our environment and soil in the future.