Just a few thoughts on spraying chemicals. A big part of this process is the average consumer who demands cosmetically perfect produce (even if it has lost nearly all flavor and texture). This applies to cut flowers as well and demands more spraying than is really necessary for healthy crop production. At the same time, agricultural pesticides have become more targeted and less toxic to non-target organisms over time due to regulation and other selective market pressures. Many of the pesticides that are familiar to middle age growers in the U.S. are no longer available. Unfortunately, sales of chemicals banned here have in many cases shifted to developing countries where awareness is very low and some of those products come back home to roost by way of imported fruits and vegetables. Organic standards in the U.S. are high in spite of repeated attempts to water them down. A farmer converting from standard to organic practice must satisfy many criteria, including clean soil after years of spraying the same land. As with using pesticides or GM crops, the motivation for conversion to organic farming is economic, mostly through higher profits per acre. I know of one almond grower who converted to organic production for economic reasons alone since the chemical spray routine had grown too costly. Dylan