However, there is a question as to whether we would be better suited by letting this land return to natural forces so that it might someday approximate its former natural state. To apply too much at the wrong time or in the wrong way is both a waste of money and an environmental hazard. New storage systems and manure spreaders, although costly, are helping farmers get the maximum value from the manure their livestock produce. With proper management, the need for commercial fertilizers is dramatically reduced. In fact, many farmers have completely eliminated the need for commercial fertilizer by managing their animal's manure more effectively.
Some farmers actually collect the methane from fermenting animal and farm wastes.
The gas can be pressurized and used for powering farm equipment and heating animal enclosures. This process not only saves fuel costs, but it breaks down the methane into slightly less destructive greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide. Organic Options Pesticide use is stringently controlled in Canada to prevent environmental damage, though there is a question as to whether the controls are enough. Modern pesticides play an important role in dramatically reducing crop losses caused by weeds, plant diseases and insect pests. Many farmers are abandoning pesticides and fertilizers, however, in favour of organic methods of improving the soil and countering weeds, diseases and pests.