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Monsanto's dirty secret: Roundup creating super weeds, more expensive food
A study has found that Monsanto's top pesticide is creating Roundup-resistant super-weeds and making our food more expensive.
Mon, Aug 15 2011 at 10:48 PM
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Photo credit: Monsanto
File this one under "Not-surprising". A new series of studies released last month found that at least 21 species of weeds have evolved a resistance to Monsanto's popular pesticide Roundup. More than 11 million acres of American farmland have been infested with these super-weeds, some which are strong enough to actually damage farm equipment as they grow.
For years Monsanto claimed that weeds wouldn't become resistant to Roundup. Last year they at least acknowledged the problem while mocking the concerns as overhyped in a post on their corporate blog.
It's stupid to get in a war with Mother Nature. She will win every time, in the long run. We are losing this battle and will only see an increasing spread of weeds that we will not be able to effectively control. This will not end well.
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Weeds evolved against roundup like they would against any pesticide. Lets look at the other scenario - without the use of roundup, how many extra acres would have to be cultivated? How much different or additional pesticide would have to be used to grow crops?
http://www.pnas.org/content/96/11/5929.full
World cereal yields have nearly tripled in the past 50 years - this would not be possible without current agricultural practices.
Where are your sources? Who funded the study? Let's see some documentation!
Not to mention their exploitation of farmers around the world and using American diplomats to push their products in other countries; locking farmers into seed buying contracts. Roundup has only been around since 1976 yet somehow, magically, we still had food to eat before that.
The reason Monsanto deserves SOME blame for the "super-weeds" is that their development of genetically-modified plants, created to be resistant to Round-Up, has helped speed the evolution of the weeds.
As long as Roundup is made I'll continue to use it. Farmers, ranchers, homeowners, and others have immensely benefited from Roundup during its lifecycle. Perhaps it has simply had its best years already, so time to compound another. Weeds are still growing.
Yeah, it's totally their fault for creating super weeds. Let's also blame Monsanto for a failing U.S. economy and worldwide famine while we're at it. Look, if you use poison or chemicals to attack something long enough, it will eventually build up a resistance to what you're using. Take a look at some of the "resistant" illnesses to antibiotics for example. It was bound to happen eventually. I agree with davehimself on this one.
Anything that kills plants, animals, bacteria or viruses helps to foster a "super" version of the thing it kills. If you open your article with missleading fear mongering I may question its content.
Also file under "Not Surprising", their corporate board doesn't believe in evolution.