Brant Baugh has worked in cotton fields for almost 20 years. He says for the past 5 or 6 years, farmers have gotten serious about going green. He says it's been good for business. Many farmers have really focused on reducing pesticides.

"The insecticide applications got cut in half, in the last 5 to 6 years there have been zero applications made in any of the cotton fields that i look at for that pest."

It used to take dozens of pesticide applications to kill the bugs. It turns out all that pesticide also hurt the crops. And then there was the secondary impact on the environment. Agricultural runoff makes up almost 70% of environmental contamination. Baugh says reducing pesticides even one farm at a time helps. It's a trend that's increasing across the country.

"Any time we can reduce the pesticide load on the environment, i think that's a good thing".

Baugh says crops have been stronger and are being produced in record amounts. He says that usually helps profits. That's where we see the economic impact across the nation. When crops don't thrive we have to turn to foreign producers.

"If we have to start buying cotton and all of our products from overseas, then our cost is going to go up for the shirt you're wearing and the jeans you're wearing".

In the final analysis, environmental action on our farms seems to be paying off. It's paying off for farmers, consumers and the planet. Farmers are also using more water-conscious methods for the fields. And they're using less fuel to plant and harvest.