Improvements in the cotton industry such as the move to HVI classing and the successful promotions of the cotton board merit praise of special concern to the cotton industry, however, are misguided proposals to drastically limit the use of agricultural chemicals in production.Undue public concern is fanned by media personalities knowing very little about the safety of pesticides necessary to produce quality agricultural products abundantly. Cotton production, also dependent on pesticides, can be affected adversely should agricultural uses of pesticides be banned. An intelligent pesticide policy based on rational, scientific risk-benefit analyses would benefit producers and consumers, and is possible. Pesticides failing those analyses should be removed from use, but those passing should be permitted to be used.