The cycle of agricultural life across the globe occurs as a series of chain reactions. Scientists are now becoming acutely aware of the immense cross industrial impacts that stem from a few seemingly harmless practices in the agricultural world. Today’s featured study is one that investigates the impact of veterinary antibiotics administered in livestock farming on all of its industrial dependents.

Administering veterinary medicines to keep livestock in good health seems like a humane, even responsible, act.  However, it has been found that these antibiotics begin their journey within animals, but quickly travel to croplands that are fertilized by manure. From here, the antibiotics often run-off into our waters and back into our fields due to irrigative practices.  While the presence of the antibiotics in the waters alone may not lead to immediate consequences, the antibiotics in the system may cause an increase of the number of untreatable antibiotic-resistant bacteria that enter the food and water supplies of wildlife, livestock and people.

Research at the University of Missouri Centre for Agroforestry has begun implementing a pre-emptive system of filtering out veterinary antibiotics from croplands at the early stages in the process. The proposed system uses a series of buffer strips, mainly consisting of grass and other plants, in order to trap and decompose the antibiotics before they are collected and transported for use in other areas.

Plant buffers have already been implemented in the American irrigation industry. Assistant professor Keith Goyne of the MU School of Natural Resources noted that “vegetated buffers already are a recommended practice for reducing sediment, nutrients and herbicides in surface runoff. Our research is showing another benefit.”

It is likely that this practice will be helpful in diminishing the impacts of runoff anti-biotics. It is heartening to see that communities are beginning to understand the harmful aspects of chemical compounds being introduced into our agricultural systems. It was once said by a Nebraska senator that “food safety involves everyone in the food chain” and the scientific community is certainly picking up the gauntlet to fight for a cleaner way to live.

Discussion questions: How does this use of bio-remediation demonstrate the agricultural industry’s continuing efforts to decrease the environmental impacts of their practices?  What are other uses for bio-remediation?

Article link: http://www.sciencecentric.com/news/article.php?q=10021350-plant-buffers-may-limit-spread-antibiotics-animal-waste

Journal link: http://www.springerlink.com/content/w54052744t8416p6/