Farmers Cope With Roundup

8/10/2019 Farmers Cope With Roundup

1/22

Farmers Cope With Roundup-Resistant

Weeds


2/22

Christopher Berkey for The New York Times

1

2

3

4

Jason Hamlin, a certified crop adviser and agronomist, looks for weeds resistant to glyphosate in Dyersburg, Tenn.

ByWILLIAM NEUMANandANDREW POLLACK

Published: May 3, 2010

Sign in to Recommend

Twitter
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/n/william_neuman/index.html?inline=nyt-perhttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/n/william_neuman/index.html?inline=nyt-perhttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/n/william_neuman/index.html?inline=nyt-perhttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/p/andrew_pollack/index.html?inline=nyt-perhttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/p/andrew_pollack/index.html?inline=nyt-perhttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/p/andrew_pollack/index.html?inline=nyt-perhttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/p/andrew_pollack/index.html?inline=nyt-perhttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/n/william_neuman/index.html?inline=nyt-per


3/22

Sign In to E-Mail

Print

Single Page

Farmers Cope Wi By WILLIAM NEU http://w w w .nyti default May 4, 2010

The New York Ti nytimes.com 12

Reprints

ShareClose

o Linkedin

o Digg

o Facebook

o Mixx

o MySpace

o Yahoo! Buzzo Permalink

o

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.

Multimedia

Interactive Graphic

Where Weedkiller Wont Work

Related

Times Topic: Farmers

Invasion of the Superweeds

Michael Pollan and others on what Roundup-resistant weeds mean for American agriculture.
http://www.nytimes.com/auth/login?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/auth/login?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=printhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=printhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/03/business/weeds-graphic.html?ref=energy-environmenthttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/03/business/weeds-graphic.html?ref=energy-environmenthttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/03/business/weeds-graphic.html?ref=energy-environmenthttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/farmers/index.htmlhttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/farmers/index.htmlhttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/farmers/index.htmlhttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/03/business/weeds-graphic.html?ref=energy-environmenthttp://www.nytimes.com/adx/bin/adx_click.html?type=goto&opzn&page=www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/business/energy-environment&pos=Frame4A&sn2=f4cac1bd/e1114066&sn1=48bc76f9/9e6acd80&camp=foxsearch2010_emailtools_1225562c_nyt5&ad=JustWright_120x60&goto=http://www.foxsearchlight.com/justwrighthttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/03/business/weeds-graphic.html?ref=energy-environmenthttp://www.nytimes.com/adx/bin/adx_click.html?type=goto&opzn&page=www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/business/energy-environment&pos=Frame4A&sn2=f4cac1bd/e1114066&sn1=48bc76f9/9e6acd80&camp=foxsearch2010_emailtools_1225562c_nyt5&ad=JustWright_120x60&goto=http://www.foxsearchlight.com/justwrighthttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/03/business/weeds-graphic.html?ref=energy-environmenthttp://www.nytimes.com/adx/bin/adx_click.html?type=goto&opzn&page=www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/business/energy-environment&pos=Frame4A&sn2=f4cac1bd/e1114066&sn1=48bc76f9/9e6acd80&camp=foxsearch2010_emailtools_1225562c_nyt5&ad=JustWright_120x60&goto=http://www.foxsearchlight.com/justwrighthttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/farmers/index.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/03/business/weeds-graphic.html?ref=energy-environmenthttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/03/business/weeds-graphic.html?ref=energy-environmenthttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=printhttp://www.nytimes.com/auth/login?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html


4/22

Post a Comment

A blog about energy, the environment and the bottom line.

Go to Blog

But not this year.

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.

Were 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. Were trying to find

out what works.

Farm experts say that such efforts could lead to higherfood 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.

The first resistant species to pose a serious threat to agriculture was spotted in a Delaware

soybean field in 2000. Since then, the problem has spread, with 10 resistant species in at least 22

states infesting millions of acres, predominantly soybeans, cotton and corn.

The superweeds could temper American agricultures enthusiasm for somegenetically modified

crops.Soybeans, corn and cotton that are engineered to survive spraying with Roundup have

become standard in American fields. However, if Roundup doesnt kill theweeds, farmers have

little incentive to spend the extra money for the special seeds.

Rounduporiginally made byMonsantobut now also sold by others under the generic name

glyphosatehas been little short of a miracle chemical for farmers. It kills a broad spectrum of

weeds, is easy and safe to work with, and breaks down quickly, reducing its environmental

impact.

Sales took off in the late 1990s, after Monsanto created its brand of Roundup Ready crops that

were genetically modified to tolerate the chemical, allowing farmers to spray their fields to kill
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/food_prices/index.html?inline=nyt-classifierhttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/food_prices/index.html?inline=nyt-classifierhttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/food_prices/index.html?inline=nyt-classifierhttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/g/genetically_modified_food/index.html?inline=nyt-classifierhttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/g/genetically_modified_food/index.html?inline=nyt-classifierhttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/g/genetically_modified_food/index.html?inline=nyt-classifierhttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/g/genetically_modified_food/index.html?inline=nyt-classifierhttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/monsanto_company/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/monsanto_company/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/monsanto_company/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://green.blogs.nytimes.com/http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/monsanto_company/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/g/genetically_modified_food/index.html?inline=nyt-classifierhttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/g/genetically_modified_food/index.html?inline=nyt-classifierhttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/food_prices/index.html?inline=nyt-classifierhttp://green.blogs.nytimes.com/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/


5/22

the weeds while leaving the crop unharmed. Today, Roundup Ready crops account for about 90

percent of the soybeans and 70 percent of the corn and cotton grown in the United States.

But farmers sprayed so much Roundup that weeds quickly evolved to survive it. What were

talking about here is Darwinian evolution in fast-forward, Mike Owen, a weed scientist atIowa

State University,said.

Now, Roundup-resistant weeds like horseweed and giant ragweed are forcing farmers to go back

to more expensive techniques that they had long ago abandoned.

Mr. Anderson, the farmer, is wrestling with a particularly tenacious species of glyphosate-

resistant pest called Palmer amaranth, or pigweed, whose resistant form began seriously infesting

farms in western Tennessee only last year.

Pigweed can grow three inches a day and reach seven feet or more, choking out crops; it is so

sturdy that it can damage harvesting equipment. In an attempt to kill the pest before it becomes

that big, Mr. Anderson and his neighbors are plowing their fields and mixing herbicides into the

soil.

That threatens to reverse one of the agricultural advances bolstered by the Roundup revolution:

minimum-till farming. By combining Roundup and Roundup Ready crops, farmers did not have

to plow under the weeds to control them. That reduced erosion, the runoff of chemicals into

waterways and the use of fuel for tractors.

If frequent plowing becomes necessary again, that is certainly a major concern for our

environment, Ken Smith, a weed scientist at theUniversity of Arkansas,said. In addition, some

critics of genetically engineered crops say that the use of extra herbicides, including some old

ones that are less environmentally tolerable than Roundup, belies the claims made by the

biotechnology industry that its crops would be better for the environment.

The biotech industry is taking us into a more pesticide-dependent agriculture when theyve

always promised, and we need to be going in, the opposite direction, said Bill Freese, a science

policy analyst for the Center for Food Safety in Washington.

Farmers Cope With Roundup-Resistant

WeedsPublished: May 3, 2010


Twitter

Sign In to E-Mail

Print

Single Page
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/i/iowa_state_university/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/i/iowa_state_university/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/i/iowa_state_university/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/i/iowa_state_university/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/u/university_of_arkansas/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/u/university_of_arkansas/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/u/university_of_arkansas/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://www.nytimes.com/auth/login?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/auth/login?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=printhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=printhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=printhttp://www.nytimes.com/auth/login?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/u/university_of_arkansas/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/i/iowa_state_university/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/i/iowa_state_university/index.html?inline=nyt-org


6/22

Farmers Cope Wi By WILLIAM NEU http://w w w .nyti default May 4, 2010

The New York Ti nytimes.com 12

Reprints

ShareClose

o Linkedin

o Digg

o Facebook

o Mixx

o MySpace

o Yahoo! Buzz

o Permalink

o

(Page 2 of 2)

So far, weed scientists estimate that the total amount of United States farmland afflicted by

Roundup-resistant weeds is relatively smallseven million to 10 million acres, according to

Ian Heap, director of the International Survey of Herbicide Resistant Weeds, which is financed

by the agricultural chemical industry. There are roughly 170 million acres planted with corn,

soybeans and cotton, the crops most affected.

Multimedia

Interactive Graphic

Where Weedkiller Wont Work

Related

Times Topic: Farmers


Michael Pollan and others on what Roundup-resistant weeds mean for American agriculture.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/03/business/weeds-graphic.html?ref=energy-environmenthttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/03/business/weeds-graphic.html?ref=energy-environmenthttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/03/business/weeds-graphic.html?ref=energy-environmenthttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/03/business/weeds-graphic.html?ref=energy-environmenthttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/farmers/index.htmlhttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/farmers/index.htmlhttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/farmers/index.htmlhttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/03/business/weeds-graphic.html?ref=energy-environmenthttp://www.nytimes.com/adx/bin/adx_click.html?type=goto&opzn&page=www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/business/energy-environment&pos=Frame4A&sn2=f4cac1bd/e1114066&sn1=dea95fc6/902a601b&camp=foxsearch2010_emailtools_1225562c_nyt5&ad=Cyrus_120x60_01.25&goto=http://www.foxsearchlight.com/cyrushttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/03/business/weeds-graphic.html?ref=energy-environmenthttp://www.nytimes.com/adx/bin/adx_click.html?type=goto&opzn&page=www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/business/energy-environment&pos=Frame4A&sn2=f4cac1bd/e1114066&sn1=dea95fc6/902a601b&camp=foxsearch2010_emailtools_1225562c_nyt5&ad=Cyrus_120x60_01.25&goto=http://www.foxsearchlight.com/cyrushttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/03/business/weeds-graphic.html?ref=energy-environmenthttp://www.nytimes.com/adx/bin/adx_click.html?type=goto&opzn&page=www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/business/energy-environment&pos=Frame4A&sn2=f4cac1bd/e1114066&sn1=dea95fc6/902a601b&camp=foxsearch2010_emailtools_1225562c_nyt5&ad=Cyrus_120x60_01.25&goto=http://www.foxsearchlight.com/cyrushttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/farmers/index.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/03/business/weeds-graphic.html?ref=energy-environmenthttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/03/business/weeds-graphic.html?ref=energy-environmenthttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=2


7/22

Post a Comment

A blog about energy, the environment and the bottom line.

Go to Blog

Roundup-resistant weeds are also found in several other countries, including Australia, China

and Brazil, according to the survey.

Monsanto, which once argued that resistance would not become a major problem, now cautions

against exaggerating its impact. Its a serious issue, but its manageable, said Rick Cole, who

manages weed resistance issues in the United States for the company.

Of course, Monsanto stands to lose a lot of business if farmers use less Roundup and Roundup

Ready seeds.

Youre havingto add another product with the Roundup to kill your weeds, said Steve Doster,

a corn and soybean farmer in Barnum, Iowa. So then why are we buying the Roundup Ready

product?

Monsanto argues that Roundup still controls hundreds of weeds. But the company is concerned

enough about the problem that it is taking the extraordinary step of subsidizing cotton farmerspurchases of competing herbicides to supplement Roundup.

Monsanto and other agricultural biotech companies are also developing genetically engineered

crops resistant to other herbicides.

Bayer is already selling cotton and soybeans resistant to glufosinate, another weedkiller.

Monsantos newest corn is tolerant of both glyphosate and glufosinate, and the company is

developing crops resistant to dicamba, an older pesticide.Syngentais developing soybeans

tolerant of its Callisto product. AndDow Chemicalis developing corn and soybeans resistant to

2,4-D, a component of Agent Orange, the defoliant used in the Vietnam War.

Still, scientists and farmers say that glyphosate is a once-in-a-century discovery, and steps need

to be taken to preserve its effectiveness.

Glyphosate is as important for reliable global food production as penicillin is for battling

disease, Stephen B. Powles, an Australian weed expert, wrote in a commentary in January in

TheProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

TheNational Research Council,which advises the federal government on scientific matters,

sounded its own warning last month,saying that the emergence of resistant weeds jeopardized

the substantial benefits that genetically engineered crops were providing to farmers and the

environment.
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/syngenta-ag/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/syngenta-ag/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/syngenta-ag/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/dow_chemical_company/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/dow_chemical_company/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/dow_chemical_company/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/p/proceedings_of_the_national_academy_of_sciences/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/p/proceedings_of_the_national_academy_of_sciences/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/p/proceedings_of_the_national_academy_of_sciences/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/n/national_research_council/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/n/national_research_council/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/n/national_research_council/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/business/energy-environment/14crop.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/business/energy-environment/14crop.htmlhttp://green.blogs.nytimes.com/http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/business/energy-environment/14crop.htmlhttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/n/national_research_council/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/p/proceedings_of_the_national_academy_of_sciences/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/dow_chemical_company/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/syngenta-ag/index.html?inline=nyt-orghttp://green.blogs.nytimes.com/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/


8/22

Weed scientists are urging farmers to alternate glyphosate with other herbicides. But the price of

glyphosate has been falling as competition increases from generic versions, encouraging farmers

to keep relying on it.

Something needs to be done, said Louie Perry Jr., a cotton grower whose great-great-grandfather

started his farm in Moultrie, Ga., in 1830.

Georgia has been one of the states hit hardest by Roundup-resistant pigweed, and Mr. Perry said

the pest could pose as big a threat to cotton farming in the South as the beetle that devastated the

industry in the early 20th century.

If we dont whip this thing, its going to be like the boll weevil did to cotton, said Mr. Perry,

who is also chairman of the Georgia Cotton Commission. It will take it away.

Previous Page

1

2

William Neuman reported from Dyersburg, Tenn., and Andrew Pollack from Los Angeles.


ByTHE EDITORS

Howard F.

Schwartz/bugwood.org Palmer amaranth, or pigweed, is a particularly tenacious Roundup-resistant pest

that has been known to damage harvesting equipment.

American farmers broad use of the weedkiller glyphosphate particularly Roundup, which

was originally made by Monsantohas led to the rapidgrowth in recent years of herbicide-resistant weeds.To fight them, farmers are being forced to spray fields with more toxic

herbicides, pull weeds by hand and return to more labor-intensive methods like regular plowing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=1http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=1http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=1http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=1http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/author/the-editors/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/author/the-editors/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/author/the-editors/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.htmlhttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/author/the-editors/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=1http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/business/energy-environment/04weed.html?pagewanted=1


9/22

Graphic: Where Weedkiller Wont Work

What should farmers do about these superweeds? What does the problem mean for agriculture in

the U.S.? Will it temper American agricultures enthusiasm for genetically modified crops that

are engineered to survive spraying with Roundup?

Michael Pollan,author, Food Rules

Stephen Powles,plant biologist and grain farmer

Blake Hurst,farmer

Anna Lapp,Small Planet Institute

Micheal D.K. Owen,professor of agronomy

We Knew It Was Coming

M ichael Pollan,a contributing writer for The Times Magazine and the Knight Professor ofJournalism at the University of California, Berkeley, is the author, most recently, ofFood

Rules: An Eaters Manual.

What a surprise! Roundup-resistant weeds have shown up in fields that have been doused with

Roundup! Shocking!

Genetically modified crops are not, as Monsanto suggests, a shiny new paradigm.

Actually, the surprise would have been if these weeds didntshow upthe only thing in doubt

was the timing. The theory of natural selection predicts that resistance will appear whenever you

attempt to eradicate a pest or a bacteria using such a heavy-handed approach. And in fact the rise

of Roundup resistant weeds waspredicted by Marion Nestle in her 2003 book Safe Food and

by the Union of Concerned Scientists. At the time, Monsanto rejected such predictions ashypothetical.

A few lessons may be drawn from this story:

Read more

Saving Glyphosate Is Essential
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/03/business/weeds-graphic.htmlhttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environment#pollanhttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environment#pollanhttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environment#stephenhttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environment#stephenhttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environment#blakehttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environment#blakehttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environment#annahttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environment#annahttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environment#michealhttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environment#michealhttp://www.michaelpollan.com/about.phphttp://www.michaelpollan.com/about.phphttp://www.michaelpollan.com/http://www.michaelpollan.com/http://www.michaelpollan.com/http://www.michaelpollan.com/http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/03/business/weeds-graphic.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/03/business/weeds-graphic.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/03/business/weeds-graphic.htmlhttp://www.michaelpollan.com/http://www.michaelpollan.com/http://www.michaelpollan.com/about.phphttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environment#michealhttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environment#annahttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environment#blakehttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environment#stephenhttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environment#pollanhttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/03/business/weeds-graphic.html


10/22

Stephen Powlesis a professor of plant biology at the University of Western Australia. He is alsoa grain grower andglyphosate user.

Can anything be done about herbicide-resistant weeds in U.S. crops?

The herbicide is as important for global food production as penicillin is for human health.

The short answer is yes. This starts with realizing that glyphosateRoundup and other trade

namesis a precious resource for current and future harvests. Glyphosate is the worlds

greatest herbicide. In my view glyphosate is a one-in-a-hundred-year discovery that is as

important for global food production as penicillin is for global human health.

Yet glyphosate is failing in corn, soybean and cotton crops in the American Midwest and South

because of massive overuse. This is also happening in Argentina and Brazil. For some U.S. grain

and cotton producers it is already too late: over-reliance on glyphosate has led to the evolution of

glyphosate-resistant weeds, and alternative chemical and non-chemical solutions will be

required.

Read more

Christopher Berkey for

The New York Times Herbicides being applied to a field in Dyersburg, Tenn., to combat weeds that are

resistant to glyphosate.

The Agricultural Arms Race

Blake Hurstfarms in northwestern Missouri with his family, raising corn, soybeans andgreenhouse crops.

We used to control weeds by cultivating. Three triangular shovels ran between each row of

crops, rooting out weeds. We were left with weeds that had tap roots and tough stalks, which slid

around the shovels. Sort of a forerunner of herbicide-resistant weeds, when you think about it.

Wed cut the escapes with a hoe, which was my summer job.
http://www.postgraduate.uwa.edu.au/research-leaders/professor_stephen_powleshttp://www.postgraduate.uwa.edu.au/research-leaders/professor_stephen_powleshttp://deltafarmpress.com/cotton/weed-resistance-worsen-0304/http://deltafarmpress.com/cotton/weed-resistance-worsen-0304/http://deltafarmpress.com/cotton/weed-resistance-worsen-0304/http://deltafarmpress.com/cotton/weed-resistance-worsen-0304/http://www.postgraduate.uwa.edu.au/research-leaders/professor_stephen_powles


11/22

We used to control weeds the old-fashioned way with hoes.

Then, we had an outbreak ofshattercane,a grass closely related to grain sorghum, which seemed

to thrive on the crop protection chemicals we had at the time. Shattercane seeded so profusely

that the cultivator was ineffective, and would grow back from below the ground after we cut it

with a hoe. A plant that was hoe resistant.

Then, we had Roundup, which ended the threat from shattercane. But some of those wily weeds

have evolved to defeat Roundup, and the war between man and weed goes on. No different than

it has since the beginning of time.

Read more

Switch the System

Anna Lappis the author, most recently, ofDiet for a Hot Planetand co-founder of theSmall Planet Instituteand the Small Planet Fund.

Times reporters William Neuman and Andrew Pollack investigate a dangerous and

underreported consequence of genetically engineered crops: tenacious new superweeds. But

the spread of superweeds should surprise no one.

We need to manage weeds and pests through natural processes, not toxic chemicals.

In 1999, my late father, scientist Marc Lapp and colleague Britt Baileyexplained the threat of

these superweeds,which could require greater amounts of more toxic pesticides to manage, and

threaten extinction for rare plants and their weedy relatives relied upon for crop and plant

biodiversity.Many others raised this red flag.Their concerns were largelydismissed as the

rantings of Ludditesor the hand wringing of elites.

Now we have evidence that, unfortunately, these predictions were prescient, especially here. The

United States is ground zero in the global experiment with genetically engineered crops, with

more than half of them planted in this country.

Read more

Diversify Weed Management

M icheal D . K. Owenis a professor of agronomy and an extension weed scientist at Iowa State

University. He is the co-author ofThe Impact of Genetically Engineered Crops on FarmSustainability in the United States.
http://www.caf.wvu.edu/~forage/johnsongrass/johnsongrass.htmhttp://www.caf.wvu.edu/~forage/johnsongrass/johnsongrass.htmhttp://www.caf.wvu.edu/~forage/johnsongrass/johnsongrass.htmhttp://www.smallplanet.org/about/item/anna_lappeacutehttp://www.takeabite.cc/book/http://www.takeabite.cc/book/http://www.takeabite.cc/book/http://www.smallplanet.org/home/http://www.smallplanet.org/home/http://environmentalcommons.org/gmo-factsheet.htmlhttp://environmentalcommons.org/gmo-factsheet.htmlhttp://environmentalcommons.org/gmo-factsheet.htmlhttp://environmentalcommons.org/gmo-factsheet.htmlhttp://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_agriculture/science_and_impacts/science/failure-to-yield.htmlhttp://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_agriculture/science_and_impacts/science/failure-to-yield.htmlhttp://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_agriculture/science_and_impacts/science/failure-to-yield.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/3349405/Prince-Charles-sparks-debate-over-GM-crops-claims.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/3349405/Prince-Charles-sparks-debate-over-GM-crops-claims.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/3349405/Prince-Charles-sparks-debate-over-GM-crops-claims.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/3349405/Prince-Charles-sparks-debate-over-GM-crops-claims.htmlhttp://www.isaaa.org/http://www.isaaa.org/http://www.biorenew.iastate.edu/who-we-are/people-and-offices/directory/micheal-owen.htmlhttp://www.biorenew.iastate.edu/who-we-are/people-and-offices/directory/micheal-owen.htmlhttp://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12804http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12804http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12804http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12804http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12804http://www.biorenew.iastate.edu/who-we-are/people-and-offices/directory/micheal-owen.htmlhttp://www.isaaa.org/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/3349405/Prince-Charles-sparks-debate-over-GM-crops-claims.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/3349405/Prince-Charles-sparks-debate-over-GM-crops-claims.htmlhttp://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_agriculture/science_and_impacts/science/failure-to-yield.htmlhttp://environmentalcommons.org/gmo-factsheet.htmlhttp://environmentalcommons.org/gmo-factsheet.htmlhttp://www.smallplanet.org/home/http://www.takeabite.cc/book/http://www.smallplanet.org/about/item/anna_lappeacutehttp://www.caf.wvu.edu/~forage/johnsongrass/johnsongrass.htm


12/22

Weeds, like all organisms, respond to selection pressures imposed by the environment. In this

case, the primary selective pressure is the repeated use of one specific herbicide: glyphosate.

If farmers adjust their approach to weed control, theyll be fine.

The solution to the problem for farmers who have yet to cause the evolution of glyphosate-

resistant weeds is to adopt a more diverse weed management program that includes tactics otherthan glyphosate. By altering the selection pressure on the weeds, glyphosate resistance will be

slow to evolve.

For those increasing number of farmers who have glyphosate-resistant weeds, the solution is

similar but more difficult: adopt alternative tactics that will control those weeds. Of course, often

these weeds have also evolved resistance to other herbicides, which, again, is attributed to the

historic use of one herbicide as the sole management tactic. In this case, weed control may be

more challenging and costly.

Read more

1 http%3A%2F%2 Room%20for%2 Michael%20Polla 20100506

By%20THE%20E Opinion Opinion Id5H8kQicikRK/K

about

E-mail This

Print Share Close

o Linkedin

o Digg

o Facebook

o Mixx

o My Space

o Yahoo! Buzz

o Permalink

o

Twitter


Business,Environment,Science,Technology,crops,farmers,Roundup,weeds

Related Posts

From Room for Debate

Making It Easier to Eat Local Food

Previous postRules, Revolving Doors and the Oil Industry
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?pagemode=printhttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?pagemode=printhttp://buzz.yahoo.com/buzz?publisherurn=new_york_times&guid=http%3A%2F%2Froomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com%2F2010%2F05%2F06%2Finvasion-of-the-superweeds%2Fhttp://buzz.yahoo.com/buzz?publisherurn=new_york_times&guid=http%3A%2F%2Froomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com%2F2010%2F05%2F06%2Finvasion-of-the-superweeds%2Fhttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/category/business/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/category/business/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/category/environment/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/category/environment/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/category/environment/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/category/science/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/category/science/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/category/science/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/category/technology/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/category/technology/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/category/technology/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/crops/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/crops/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/crops/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/farmers/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/farmers/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/farmers/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/roundup/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/roundup/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/roundup/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/weeds/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/weeds/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/weeds/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/19/making-it-easier-to-eat-local-food/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/rules-revolving-doors-and-the-oil-industry/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/rules-revolving-doors-and-the-oil-industry/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/rules-revolving-doors-and-the-oil-industry/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/19/making-it-easier-to-eat-local-food/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/weeds/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/roundup/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/farmers/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/crops/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/category/technology/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/category/science/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/category/environment/http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/category/business/http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzz?publisherurn=new_york_times&guid=http%3A%2F%2Froomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com%2F2010%2F05%2F06%2Finvasion-of-the-superweeds%2Fhttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?pagemode=print


13/22

51 Readers' Comments

Post a Comment

All Comments

Highlights

Readers' Recommendations Replies

Oldest

Newest

1of 3Next

1.

Linda

Oklahoma

May 7th, 2010

3:27 am

A problem, that nobody wants to admit, is that glyphosate has been misused. When my husband, who

does historic preservation, was cleaning up around an old plantation house, he was told to add double

the amount of Roundup than the directions called for. He also witnessed people put a gallon of Roundup

into a water tank when the directions called for a cup. Sometimes it was the thinking that if some is

good, a whole lot must be better. Sometimes it was because nobody read the directions. It's kind of likethe person who clogs up their washing machine because they use a cup of detergent instead of a

quarter of a cup. There's too much thinking that more must be better. Why would directions on the

bottle lie? Yet so many people think they know better than the manufacturer.

RecommendRecommended by 23 Readers

2.

Gina

Los Angeles, CA

May 7th, 2010

3:27 am

So we are in an arms race with the weeds...and the collateral damage are other plants and animals

including us.

Why is there no mention of colony collapse disorder of the bees? These dying and disappearing bees

have been shown to have 120 different pesticides and herbicides in their bodies.

The most disturbing are the systemic pesticides that coat the seeds and appear to act on the brains of

the second generation of bees. Bayer Chemical scientists show no problems with the bees eating nectar
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environment#postCommenthttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environment#postCommenthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?sort=oldesthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?sort=oldesthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?sort=highlightshttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?sort=highlightshttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?sort=recommendedhttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?sort=recommendedhttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?sort=repliedhttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?sort=repliedhttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?sort=newesthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?sort=oldest&offset=2http://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?sort=oldest&offset=2http://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?sort=oldest&offset=2http://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=1#comment1http://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=1#comment1http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=2#comment2http://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=2#comment2http://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=2#comment2http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=1#comment1http://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?sort=oldest&offset=2http://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?sort=newesthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?sort=repliedhttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?sort=recommendedhttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?sort=highlightshttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?sort=oldesthttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environment#postComment


14/22

of flowers grown from coated systemic pesticides...but their offspring....well they can't find they're way

home...thus the epidemic of colony collapse disorder.

And what, pray tell, will happen to our children? The chemical industry is making money while

experimenting on our bodies. You don't think you have 120 pesticides in your body? Think again.


3.

Curt Klebaum

Los Angeles, California

May 7th, 2010

3:28 am

All the apologists for industrial farming speak of the miracle of chemical herbicides, and that the world

food supply would suffer tremendously if we did not farm in this manner. Proponents of sustainablity

have not spoken to this issue, or if they have a sustainable solution to the problem of massive food

demand they have not been loud enough. Monsanto and the big industrial farming concerns treat eco-

agronomists as little terriers nipping at their heels, annoying and ineffective.


4.

Rich

Stuart

May 7th, 2010

3:28 am

I like the farmer's and agronomists statements about this is just another step along the agricultural path.

Blake Hurst's comment about hoe resistant weeds is particularly appropriate. However Pollan's and

Lappe's comments are typical of liberal journalists, we told you so is all they can say. I wonder if Pollan

even has a garden. She is second generation, "the sky is falling".


5.

AL

Seattle, WA

May 7th, 2010

3:28 am

Is there any nutritional or fiber value in some of these persistent weeds?
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=3#comment3http://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=3#comment3http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=4#comment4http://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=4#comment4http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=5#comment5http://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=5#comment5http://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=5#comment5http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=4#comment4http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=3#comment3http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environment


15/22


6.

Ken Weiss

Penn State University

May 7th, 2010

5:47 am

Michael Pollan is right. Evolutionarily this is no surprise.http://ecodevoevo.blogspot.com...


7.

David

Upstate New York

May 7th, 2010

5:47 am

Back to the land, people. Small family farms are healthy for body, soul, and spirit.


8.

Joseph Locascio

Boston, MA

May 7th, 2010

5:47 am

I know there's no such thing as super-weeds because that would be another example of evolution which

is not true. (Unless the super-weeds were intelligently designed?)


9.

Chaniacreta

where ever

May 7th, 2010

5:47 am

Several of the authors talked about "threat of these superweeds, which could require greater amounts

of more toxic pesticides to manage, and threaten extinction for rare plants and their weedy relatives
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=6#comment6http://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=6#comment6http://ecodevoevo.blogspot.com/2010/05/rounded-up-no-varmints-got-away.htmlhttp://ecodevoevo.blogspot.com/2010/05/rounded-up-no-varmints-got-away.htmlhttp://ecodevoevo.blogspot.com/2010/05/rounded-up-no-varmints-got-away.htmlhttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=7#comment7http://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=7#comment7http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=8#comment8http://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=8#comment8http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=9#comment9http://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=9#comment9http://timespeople.nytimes.com/view/user/30701086/activities.htmlhttp://timespeople.nytimes.com/view/user/30701086/activities.htmlhttp://timespeople.nytimes.com/view/user/30701086/activities.htmlhttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=9#comment9http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=8#comment8http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=7#comment7http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://ecodevoevo.blogspot.com/2010/05/rounded-up-no-varmints-got-away.htmlhttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=6#comment6http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environment


16/22

relied upon for crop and plant biodiversity. Really all that is happening is that if the superweeds

become resistant to RoundUp then farmers will go back to the herbicides they used 2 decades ago.

Biotech products have dramatiaclly reduce the use of pesticides world wide, the worst case senario is

going back to the Good Old day of pre-Biotech.


10.

BL

CA

May 7th, 2010

5:47 am

Monsanto now controls 90% + of corn grown in USA by enforcing their patent on the genetically altered

corn seeds. Dow Chemical is developing corn and soybeans resistant to 2,4-D, a component of Agent

Orange, the defoliant used in the Vietnam War. Giving chemical companies a monopoly on what is

planted for the most basic food crops in America seems to me a very, very bad idea. Forget about the

weeds, potential water runoff contamination, and the fact that eating genetically altered foods has not

been tested long term, spraying defoliants like 2,4-D on cropland will alter human genetics, and not for

the good.

Patent protection by Monsanto has been so rigorous that out of the thousands of corn seed extraction

machines once available to US farmers, only a few a left according to a recent PBS documentary. And

people are afraid to even use those from fear of facing Monsanto lawyers. Is the U.S. governmentmonitoring this at all?


11.

krnewman

rural MI

May 7th, 2010

5:47 am

Isn't this edible? Both the leaves, which can be cooked like spinach or made into a leaf concentrate for

food, and also the grains, which can be used for baking?


12.

scott newell

michigan

May 7th, 2010


17/22

5:47 am

to all the stupid who dismiss this issue as one of liberal scare tactics, etc. when YOUR kid gets cancer

what will you do? poisoning the world for profit under the guise of food production is criminally insane.


13.

Peter

Long Island, NY

May 7th, 2010

5:47 am

Note that in the tractor/sprayer photo, no weeds are visible. Roundup is effective only when sprayed on

leaves. This is a great example of misuse and ignorance -- someone is spraying the soil, thinking that willprevent weeds. It is indeed no surprise that weeds have developed resistance.


14.

Isabel

San Francisco

May 7th, 2010

5:47 am

Monsanto saying that the development of super-weeds in response to Round-up use was "hypothetical"

is like British Petroleum saying in its 2009 environmental impact analysis for its gulf well that it was

unlikely, or virtually impossible, for an accident to occur that would lead to a giant crude oil spill. And

today we are witnessing an environmental disaster of almost unimaginable proportions.

Diverse weed management programs that reduce use of Round-up would be better than exclusive

reliance on it, but far better would be long term sustainability of productivity through true crop

diversity. As Gina from LA pointed out, super-weeds are not the only threat from pesticide supported

monoculture.


15.

grace Araujo

New York

May 7th, 2010

5:47 am
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=13#comment13http://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=13#comment13http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=14#comment14http://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=14#comment14http://timespeople.nytimes.com/view/user/3768799/activities.htmlhttp://timespeople.nytimes.com/view/user/3768799/activities.htmlhttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=15#comment15http://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=15#comment15http://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=15#comment15http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://timespeople.nytimes.com/view/user/3768799/activities.htmlhttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=14#comment14http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=13#comment13http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environment


18/22

Al, yes, there is, not only for humans but, for example, Dandelion could be prepared in salads, is a

diuretic as well. Bees, Butterflies depend on this 'weed' at the start of Spring. Of course, it would be nice

if pesticides were not used so that we can all enjoy them. there are a lot of other edible weeds.

however, be careful where you gert them from. Check Wikipedia or Google for list of edible weeds.

Hope this helps.


16.

guanna

boston

May 7th, 2010

5:47 am

Are people really surprise by this, Antibiotic resistant bacteria, Insecticide resistant insects, rodents

tolerant to warfarin, and now weeds resistant to weed killers. Any biologist could have predicted this

and I am quite certain everyone at who bred these seeds was aware of this when they introduced their

product. Profit selling roundup resistant crops seeds and now more money selling roundup.


17.

RAL

Wilmington, DE

May 7th, 2010

5:47 am

President Obama missed a golden opportunity to appoint Michael Pollan as Secretary of Agriculture. The

thought of him at the helm for just four years makes me giddy at the thought of what the US could

accomplish; and that's just in "clean up" from previous administrations.


18.

Jim Q

Canton, Ohio

May 7th, 2010

5:47 am

It's nice to read some actual facts about this topic. I am stunned by the amount of nonsense that

supposedly educated people believe about modern farming.


19/22

For example, one of the comments blamed the collapse of bee populations on glyphosate, asking why

there was no mention of that problem. There was no mention because there is no reason to believe

glyphosate is involved. Still, this myth is deeply rooted in the public consciousness.

We live in a nation with the worst science education in the developed world. We also live in a nation

where less than 1 percent of the population produces food for the other 99 percent.

The result is a population that knows little about science in general, and knows almost nothing about

agriculture in particular.


19.

rlwesty

Cincinnati

May 7th, 2010

5:47 am

The need for herbicides in such large quantities stems from our abuse of soil. Most farming is done on

lands that once teemed with hearty native grasses. We need to support the efforts of folks like Wes

Jackson at the Land Institute who are working to restore grasslands with food bearing perennials. This is

the only hope we have to ween ourselves from the chemical, soil-evicerating nightmare that agriculture

has become.


20.

Anne Hills

Windham, Maine

May 7th, 2010

5:47 am

To #4: Yes, Michael Pollan does have a garden. He lives the way he advocates. And... if you read carefully

instead of just generalizing the statements, you would see that Pollan's answer is more diversity, the

farmer's answer is more diversity, the chemist's answer is more diversity... almost everybody calls for it,

in the chemicals used, crops grown, methods of combating weeds, everything.

Mother nature loves diversity.. detests too much of anything.


21.

Michael Melius
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=19#comment19http://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=19#comment19http://timespeople.nytimes.com/view/user/268050/activities.htmlhttp://timespeople.nytimes.com/view/user/268050/activities.htmlhttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=20#comment20http://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=20#comment20http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=21#comment21http://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=21#comment21http://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=21#comment21http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=20#comment20http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://timespeople.nytimes.com/view/user/268050/activities.htmlhttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=19#comment19http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environment


20/22

South Dakota

May 7th, 2010

5:47 am

It's always important when thinking about ag issues in the U.S. to remember: You're paying for this.

Through Direct Payments to farmers, among other subsidies. Certainly for the grains like corn and

wheat, we make payments directly to farmers that are no longer tied to what or how much is grown.

(Does that constitute socialism? How about farmers getting paid to produce a crop whose market is set

by the government, i.e., the percent of ethanol in gas blends, likely to be raised to 15% soon. (E-15) My

battle cry for the 2012 farm bill is "You can have Direct Payments or you can have E-15, but you can't

have both.")

We used to justify federal farm subsidies because food is too important to be left to market forces, and

because farming is a business that's uniquely vulnerable to natural forces: hail, frost, wind, drought. As

farming becomes more and more about producing fuel and animal feed, our conversation needs tochange to reflect that. Mr. Powles' appeal for the "global food supply" is an example. "Motor fuel and

animal feed supply" might be more accurate.

Herbicides have allowed the spread of "no-till" farming, which has resulted in reduced wind erosion and

fuel use, and probably time savings for farmers. No-till also saves soil moisture, allowing denser

plantings which then need greater fertilizer input, all of which increases yield per acre. Good for

farmers.

No-till is one factor in the spread of the U.S. corn belt westward. (For example, thirty years ago, corn

grown for grain was rare at the 100th meridian in SD; now it's quite common.) Perhaps wheat acres, also

no-till, will be pushed west ahead of it. Meanwhile, there's less acreage devoted to other grains, so

we're importing oats and rye for example. Farmers like monoculture because it's simpler and

economical to grow just a few crops.

I think farmers will adjust to resistant weeds, they always do. But if they continue to grow corn and

soybeans on such a huge scale--the eastern half of the U.S.--it's just a matter of time before some insect

or fungus thrives at their expense. Monoculture begets monoculture.


22.

Bill

MA

May 7th, 2010

5:47 am

Given Monsanto's expensive, years-long campaign to patent and privatize the fundamental ingredients

of human nutrition, and its longstanding policy to use an army of lawyers to intimidate anyone who

stands in their way (especially farmers who prefer safes and more sustainable approaches), I predict
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=22#comment22http://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=22#comment22http://community.nytimes.com/comments/roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?permid=22#comment22http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environment


21/22

that Monsanto will soon buy up many of our struggling newspapers (including The Times) so these kinds

of pesky stories never see the light of day.


23.

Gabe Nugent

Fayetteville, NY

May 7th, 2010

5:47 am

Mr. Stuart, Michael Pollan has been growing plants since his teens, most of them legal. One cannot help

but wonder what is going on in Monsanto's R&D department. My guess is a lot of high-fiving, as I'm sure

they will have a "solution" to these new super weeds. I gladly pay more for good vegetables by

patronizing my local organic farmer, who somehow manages to grow great fruit and vegetables without

any chemical help.


24.

Dan Bosko

New York, NY

May 7th, 2010

5:47 am

The problem to which Linda (#1) alludes is similar to the problem with healthcare in America. The public

to a large extent is wedded to the notion that more is better. Witness the recent outcry when scientists

suggested that there is an overuse of mammography. Scientists are beginning to realize that the

indiscriminate use of diagnostic testing, the over use of surgery, and the administration of powerful

drugs to categories of people who don't really require them, can be most damaging to the individuals

subjected to all this superfluous treatment. It is time for people to realize that less can often turn out to

be more.


25.

Jean Lynch

North Carolina

May 7th, 2010

5:47 am


22/22

I just saw a TV ad for a new Ortho product that's a general yard insect killer. The commercial showed a

pleasant-seeming young couple insisting they were going to enjoy their yard this year by killing all of the

insects in it.

Will people stop and think whether it's a good idea to remove all insects from the environment, period?

Will they realize that insects play varied and vital roles in the environment, including decomposing dying

plants; eating other insects; serving as food for other species, including birds; pollinating plants (oh, I

forgot, we don't need to worry about collecting seeds anymore, since we're supposed to buy them all

from seed companies). Some insects are even beautiful to look at. Think of fireflies.

No good will come of this. My only hope is that the product doesn't work.

http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environmenthttp://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?ref=energy-environment

Documents

Farmers Cope With Roundup