Chemical Lands

"David D. Vail’s Chemical Lands is a valuable reminder that the embrace of pesticides after World War II was complex and shaped by a variety of factors including the perceived threats of insect and plant pests, the adaption of technologies to particular circumstances, and an ongoing debate about both the risks and benefits of the chemicals." —Journal of American History

"Chemical Lands is a fine addition to environmental historiography, and scholars studying agricultural history will find it to be a useful book."—Kansas History

"The story Vail tells is fascinating and important. Chemical Lands makes a valuable contribution to a growing field of pesticide history, which is a a body of literature that examines the complicated relationship between chemicals, humans, and nature. Vail's history of spray pilots cuts across multiple strands of this literature, while effectively building on it." —American Historical Review

"Chemical Lands adds an important perspective to recently published work critically reexamining the history of pesticides, toxicology, contamination, and Silent Spring. This well-written and expertly researched book joins a growing chorus of scholars across history, science technology and society, anthropology, and geography who are asking that we rethink the forces that produced, and continue to produce, our contaminated world." —Environmental History

"Vail's regional synthesis of themes agricultural, technological, social, and environmental makes [Chemical Lands] a welcome addition to histories of the Great Plains and environmental toxicity." —Western Historical Quarterly

"The 20th century has seen several shifts in agricultural practices, but none have had a more profound effect than the use of pesticides. The agriculture industry in the American Great Plains forms the core of its economy; as pressures to moderate insect and weed threats increased, this region was acutely impacted by the need to develop pesticides and improve methods for their efficient application over large swaths of land. In Chemical Lands, Vail traces the philosophy of pesticide use and the efforts by universities, applicators, and chemical companies to improve pesticide safety. This text focuses chiefly on the evolution of aerial pesticide application technology. Vail takes a pragmatic approach, contending that agricultural and grassland systems ultimately benefit from pesticides so long as they are employed safely. Overall, readers gain a nuanced perspective on the utility of pesticides alongside the vital importance of developing methods to ensure the health of the environment. Recommended." —CHOICE

“In Chemical Lands, David Vail incisively documents the complex relationship between sprayers, pesticides, herbicides, and grassland landscapes in America and Canada. For the first time, we can appreciate what was happening on the ground and in the sky through this thoughtful analysis of the sprayer’s perspective on the toxic chemicals that became intrinsic to American agriculture.” —Frederick Rowe Davis, author of Banned: A History of Pesticides and the Science of Toxicology

"Overall, David Vail has written a smart, polished, and valuable book of interest to environmental historians and historians of technology as well as agricultural historians. Vail tells the story of aerial spraying as the complex tale that it is, with careful attention to regional distinctiveness, the creation of ex­pertise, the assessment of risk, and the role of technology. But he tells it with clarity and energy, showing how much we can learn with careful attention to the practices and protocols of pesticide use." —Agricultural History