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USDA certified organic farming only allows the use of “naturally occurring chemicals”, such as copper sulphate. However, copper sulphate is very rarely found in its pure form and requires a lot of processing. Here’s a quick step by step snippet of how copper sulphate is produced for use in the USDA certified organic farming industry: 1. Copper ore is first mined through conventional pit or underground mining methods. The mining process has detrimental environmental impacts. These impacts include water pollution from heavy metals and acid mine drainage, air pollution from smelting operations, and land degradation from mining activities and waste disposal.https://superfund.arizona.edu/resources/learning-modules-english/copper-mining-and-processing/processing-copper-oreshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S00139351210034432. Once the copper ore is obtained, the copper needs to be removed from the ore. This can be completed through a variety of processes, including Solvent Extraction-Electrowinning, leeching, smelting, froth floating, electrolysis, adsorption, or iron grit methods. These processes release pollutants like sulfur dioxide and particulate matter into the atmosphere, potentially leading to acid rain and affecting air quality. Furthermore, waste products like slag can contaminate soil and water with heavy metals.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S00139351210034433. The pure copper sulphate crystals are then ground into a fine powder which has a ld50 of approximately 300 (this is approximately 17 times more toxic than round up) and is then applied directly onto crops for pest management. So there’s your “USDA organic approved “naturally occurring chemical”.