Farmers Cope With Roundup-Resistant Weeds, “It is the single largest threat to ... agriculture"

[Liberal_in_LA]

Farmers Cope With Roundup-Resistant Weeds

DYERSBURG, Tenn. — For 15 years, Eddie Anderson, a farmer, has been a strict adherent of no-till agriculture, an environmentally friendly technique that all but eliminates plowing to curb erosion and the harmful runoff of fertilizers and pesticides.

On a recent afternoon here, Mr. Anderson watched as tractors crisscrossed a rolling field — plowing and mixing herbicides into the soil to kill weeds where soybeans will soon be planted.

Just as the heavy use of antibiotics contributed to the rise of drug-resistant supergerms, American farmers’ near-ubiquitous use of the weedkiller Roundup has led to the rapid growth of tenacious new superweeds.

To fight them, Mr. Anderson and farmers throughout the East, Midwest and South are being forced to spray fields with more toxic herbicides, pull weeds by hand and return to more labor-intensive methods like regular plowing.

“We’re back to where we were 20 years ago,” said Mr. Anderson, who will plow about one-third of his 3,000 acres of soybean fields this spring, more than he has in years. “We’re trying to find out what works.”

Farm experts say that such efforts could lead to higher food prices, lower crop yields, rising farm costs and more pollution of land and water.

“It is the single largest threat to production agriculture that we have ever seen,” said Andrew Wargo III, the president of the Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?src=me&ref=homepage

[villager]

1. The single largest threat to corporate monoculture farming?

That's what happens when you single crops, in single spots, year after year...

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Time for Monsanto to develop a terminator weed seed

[izquierdista]

3. Not what works

What is the easiest for your fat ass sitting in the tractor. God forbid you ever have to get out of the tractor and manually work with companion plantings that eliminate weeds on their own.

[kentauros]

10. Or at least understand WHY he's getting weeds at all.

I'm only guessing that ag students aren't taught anything about why weeds show up, only how to "erradicate" them. They should all be taught from the book Weeds - Guardians of the Soil. Maybe then we could boot Monsanto out of agriculture. Of course, they still have a huge hold on lawn-lords...

[truedelphi]

14. I agree, but I doubt that they have

ever even heard of companion crop farming.

I used to visit friends who lived across the street from a guy who was taking University level classes to become a landscaper. Every time I saw him, he had huge manuals from various Big Agro companies that he was required to read.

Meanwhile he never ever watered his lawn or his plants. (This was in Calif, where there is no rain in the summer. Usually.

After everything got very sickly looking, there he was, out there spraying it all with a dozen different "solutions" to his sad looking landscape.

And this guy went on to have a degree in landscaping!

[izquierdista]

16. Go to the plant store, get the box

There used to be a pizza commercial where they disavowed having a dumb guy "go to the freezer, get the box". Unfortunately, when you turn your life over to Big Corporatocracy, they will sell you what you need to have (like Brawndo -- it has electrolytes).

I'm very happy to have a fine crop of dandelions in my back yard. They are high in protein and the hens love them!

[kentauros]

19. You know, I've never eaten dandelions.

I know plenty about them, such as their herbal property as a strong diuretic, but haven't had a plot of soil to garden in years. But when I do, I will grow dandelions, and hopefully to the chagrin of my neighbors

[kgnu_fan]

28. leaf is good for salad, root is good for saute with carrots, yammy... but never eaten flower

[kentauros]

31. You have to get the leaves when they're young, though,

otherwise I've heard they turn bitter. I didn't know that about the roots. Maybe I can grow some in a container...

This is a very good and informative article about dandelions, worthy of being printed out and handed to everyone you know :)

[cottonseed]

18. You're an idiot. He's going to get out and pick weeds on a 3000 acre farm?

[izquierdista]

32. Time will tell

Once he runs out of fuel, fertilizer, and herbicide inputs, he may not be able to monocrop 3000 acres. I suspect he will be priced out first tho.

[Ozymanithrax]

4. Evolution is proven once again. n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. BE GONE YE UNBELIEVER!!!!

:hi:

Could not help it.

[Ozymanithrax]

6. I am slowly being erased, beginning with my toes.

:hi:

[Ellipsis]

7. 3000 fuckin acres, guess you'll just have to get out of the air conditioned tractor cab bub!

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_euq4iPQ9iQk/SayO2evz-NI/AAAAAAAAAvI/zLA5bJmH4E0/s400/planet+Whizbang+Prototype.JPG

[MrsMatt]

8. Do you know anything about farming?

3000 acres is NOT a particularly large farm these days. Margins of profit are slim.

Oh, since you mention it, you may want to consider your own A/C use while you are at work.

[Ellipsis]

13. Why yes I do.

Didn't mean to strike a nerve there Mrs Matt.

Just don't agree with the corporate farming business model.



Ain't no air conditioner on my post hole digger.

[kentauros]

21. I hope that's a 'proper' post hole digger,

as in the kind that's all metal and weighs about 30 pounds ;)

[Ellipsis]

22. 'Tis indeed steel

http://www.fiskars.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10101&categoryId=10276&productId=10560&page=products

[kentauros]

23. Okay, I've seen that one in my search for the digger my father owns.

I think his is an antique that we've just repaired and kept in good repair over the decades. I don't know if it weighs 30 pounds, but it's heavy enough to sink a good 4-6 inches into gumbo clay when you drop it a couple of feet :)

[Ellipsis]

27. I was really running one today...

No clay, fortunately it was only roots and rocks. :toast:

[kentauros]

30. Depends on the size of the rocks...

:P

I think digging post-holes today would likely kill me, though :o

[Ellipsis]

35. It's kinda like the Forest Gump Box of chocolates scenario.

The farm I'm putzing on goes back to the 1850's. It 's on the edge of glaciation in Wisconsin where the glacier would start puking out rocks ... some of the rocks on the farm, and I have no idea how they cleared them back then, are five six feet in size. So when my friend asked me to put up a privacy fence along a tree line I was a bit apprehensive. I got lucky and only had to restart a hole once, took a hatchet to the roots when I found them.

They farm lots of burdocks and nettle by the way.

You just gotta let the digger do the work for ya... Peace

[kentauros]

36. Maybe you should switch to mushroom farming instead

http://www.fungi.com

I would guess large rocks were moved by teams of horses back then. I don't know the pulling capacity of draft horses, but it's pretty "hefty".

It's always great to talk with a conscientious farmer

[Ellipsis]

41. Around here there called "Grzybys". LOL

There were a few "Sneakers and Shades" parties here in the late 70's but I digress.

[kentauros]

42. Yeah, it's not normally legal to cultivate those kinds of mushrooms

:hippie:
Although they "legally" grow on cow patties here, it's just illegal to pick them ;)

Okay, all I know after looking up "Grzybys" is it's a Polish surname. So, either it's your neighbor's name or slang for those "other" types of mushrooms...

[Ellipsis]

43. Polish settled.

Translation = Mushroom

Good People.

The last pope visited just a couple miles from here.

G'night.

[riderinthestorm]

33. That pic is not of a post hole digger..... It's a small single row cultivator.

I'm incredibly tired. Perhaps this is some kind of inside joke?

[Cleita]

9. Not that I have a field to plow, but the only time I use Roundup is when

I have a particularly stubborn shrub weed that I don't want to grow back. Other than that I'm a pull up the weeds by the hand person. I find it also keeps me somewhat fit. Also, fresh weeds that haven't gone to bloom compost nicely. My neighbor across the road has been doing roundup on his pasture and lately nothing seems to be growing on it. It seems he has poisoned his field.

[kentauros]

12. Then, you might want to read this about weeds and soil health:

Don't Kill Those Weeds!!!

Along with the other book linked above, you may find that improving your soil health goes much further than resorting to herbicides :)

Also, your neighbor could still recover his field by growing mushrooms on it. Not necessarily to eat, but as a natural form of bioremediation. Paul Stamets has a good article on that (http://www.fungi.com/mycotech/mycova.html)

[truedelphi]

15. I love your links. Still treasure some you

Put up months ago.

Sadly, one of the films that Monsanto put out, has farmers saying the number one thing they love about RoundUp Ready crops is that their fields are WEED FREE!

Their grandfathers would have shuddered in their boots to even think about that.

And our grandchildren will probably be going to bed hungry, as the soil and its fertility and nutritional levels is being destroyed. By every proclamation that the FDA is making.

[kentauros]

17. Thanks :)

I know I post the Guardians of the Soil link often, but there are a lot of people here and not all are aware of why weeds are there, other than to be a "nuisance".

Even for those farmers that insist weeds must be chemically eradicated, if they just rotated their crops with one full season gone fallow, that alone would improve their soil health and lessen their weed 'crop' considerably. I'm no expert, of course, but I do remember the bit about rotating crops and leaving one portion fallow. Do they still do that anymore? Because I'm not seeing or hearing of much evidence of it in stories like this...

[Cleita]

37. I'm afraid the conditions of shade and moisture that

mushrooms need couldn't be accomplished in his field. There are no trees and our rainy season is over. I get mushrooms or toadstools under my trees when it rains enough, but I don't think he will. We used to get fog but the warming climate makes even this happen less and less.

[kentauros]

38. I would think there'd be a way of doing it,

if researched enough. And if he wants to recover the land.

Also, the majority of the fungus is underground anyway. What we see above ground is just the "fruit" of the fungal structure.

I've seen a couple of fungi experts on DU in recent days, mainly in response to the oil disaster and bioremediation. I'll see if I can find them again and they can either expound on this or correct me :)

[kgnu_fan]

11. Big is not always good. Small farming, local food production and consumption

would change our life style and social attitude about food. We may work harder to make food and appreciate agriculture more. We may reduce obesity in this country too.

[cottonseed]

20. You'd have a lot less time to post on the internet if you actually had to work on a farm.

Think about that.

[riderinthestorm]

24. Yup, it's 9:45 and this small farmer has just dragged her tired ass inside

to eat dinner, browse DU for a bit, take a shower and go straight to bed. I was planting potatoes tonight in the dark by headlights!

It's exhausting work. Sometimes I honestly question whether this is even worth it.

I honestly appreciate my clients' love, gratitude and loyalty but it's killer work and at 50 years old, I'm pretty damn tired.

I enjoy Kentauros' posts. And I agree with them. I've got some other recs - "10 Acres Enough" is good. Small Farmers Journal is another one I get. Anything by Coleman is a keeper.

3000 acres for a corn/soybean farm isn't huge. I had a laugh at the thought of him pulling weeds by hand on that large an acreage though. It's ridiculously hard on the 5 acres +/- that we organically grow. We don't spray anything though, just hand-weed - with every passing year, with hand-weeding, actually you begin to get less and less weeds so it honestly becomes easier. We have my daughter's outgrown Welsh/Shetland pony broke to drive and she gets our small acreage cultivated very quickly so we do a quick clean up between plants only.

Farmers experiencing problems with their Round-up saturated fields have basically "killed" the healthy, living organisms that may have assisted them in producing better crops. Their fields become very sterile (for lack of a better word).

Lastly, the author's bias is showing by saying no-till farming techniques are earth friendly. What a crock of shit. That's big Ag-speak, and a lie. No run-off of herbicides and pesticides through no-till???? Oh. My. Fucking. God. I'd laugh but it's hard not to weep.

[kgnu_fan]

26. Thank you for keeping good seed alive - we need them for future

[kentauros]

29. I read this stuff about healthier farming/gardening and agree with it.

I think I'm currently just an information hound, forever finding this data to use in "the future" and share with those that can put it to use now. I do miss getting my hands dirty and composting. I used to be pretty damn good at making a rich compost...

I'll look up your recs for further reading and learning, so thanks for that :)

[truedelphi]

44. Interesting report you offer. Luv getting the bit of insight from someone

who is out there -

At fifty eight - I get tired just looking after my half acre. So I can only imagine the work you do on five.

I listened to some of the Monsanto-generated videos on their website. The thing I noticed the most is the intolerance - the notion that having a field that is weed free is so marvelous. Really? Although no one should want a field run by weeds, that is why farmers did tilling. Like you begin to discuss, one does wonder what happened to the accumulated wisdom of thousands of years of farming.

I remember way back in fourth grade, we discussed the idea of sustainable farming. Crop rows should be terraced horizontally along hillsides, fields should be tilled, and crops should be rotated. (I think the discussion came about when we were discussing the Great Plains Dust Bowls of the thirties. And all this discussion was happening in a classroom on the southside of Chicago!)

I watch the big vinters come in (they rent the land acre by acre from small farmers in my neck of the woods.) First they take out all the trees. Then they put in the rows and rows of sickly metal trellises. Nary a bush or blade of grass or brush for animal habitat or oxygen production anywhere. It will be several years before the grape vines are even noticeable - so not much oxygen from them.) Often the rows run vertically up and down the hillsides, so that in less than ten years, I am imagining that the grapes will have destroyed the fabulous fertility left behind by Mt Konocti. Think of all the runoff in the winter! Egads.

[kgnu_fan]

25. Yes I have worked on a farm and I appreciate the work

I don't mind having less time to post on the internet. I love working outside.

[Berserker]

34. It's time

to stop working like that. Hire Illegals I have been told they work for nothing and all they want is to make a living so quit bitching.

[sammytko]

39. some types of pigweed are edible.

[Union Yes]

40. Break-up Monsanto and all mega-corp agri-business now! knr nt