Loomio
Fri 31 Aug 2018 10:39AM

Glyphosate discussion and links

GH Grahame Hunter Public Seen by 44

As well as a forum for discussion, an extra ambition for this thread is to gather in one place links and references and information of all sorts about Glyphosate with especial attention to its place in a no-till system. Any member with an academic bent is encouraged to gather and post here reading lists for interested members who wish to immerse themselves in the topic.

what it is. Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide and crop desiccant. It is an organophosphorus compound, specifically a phosphonate. It is used to kill weeds, especially annual broadleaf weeds and grasses that compete with crops. It was discovered to be an herbicide by Monsanto chemist John E. Franz in 1970. Monsanto brought it to market for agricultural use in 1974 under the trade name Roundup, and Monsanto's last commercially relevant United States patent expired in 2000.

GH

Grahame Hunter Fri 31 Aug 2018 10:54AM

To start the debate, I am here re-posting a link from Harriet.
I am afraid __ the report is 84 pages long__, but packed with interesting information. For those with limited time, I found pages 13-24 most relevant.

She wrote

.. I just came across a recent report by PAN on alternatives to herbicides, focusing on alternatives to glyphosate, that I thought could be useful in the ongoing discussions: link to the report

@harriet13

GH

Grahame Hunter Fri 31 Aug 2018 11:06AM

& Rosy Benson then posted a response from a farmer-friend which seems relevant here..(para-phrased here) @rosybenson
I think there are a lot of sound management decisions which could be positively implemented that would have great (er) impacts on soil and ecosystem function than a more negative focus on the potentially detrimental effects of glyphosate. Habitat creation in buffer strips, cover cropping, inter-cropping, use of organic fertiliser (compost etc.) all have massive benefits for earthworms, soil microorganisms, plant resilience, pollinators & other beneficial. Moreover my implementation of these measures hasn’t increased my use of glyphosate, but it has certainly been key tool in their implementation within my system. There is a danger that a ban on glyphos would actually inhibit a roll out of these principles ..

SJ

Steven Jacobs Thu 27 Sep 2018 12:10PM

I won't be able to attend the gathering on 30 September. I have written up some thoughts on glyphosate and food production. I hope this is taken as part of a constructive debate.
Cheers, Steven

CL

Christine Lewis Sat 29 Sep 2018 8:18AM

Steven, many thanks for posting this information - it will be really helpful as we consider these all these complex matters.

TA

Tony Allan Fri 28 Sep 2018 8:11AM

Thank you Grahame et al for developing the debate on glyphosate. Tony (Allan)

SJ

Steven Jacobs Sat 29 Sep 2018 12:39PM

And to follow on from my previous post and document I want to add a piece I've written for the most recent OF&G newsletter which I feel is relevant to discussion on the nature of food production when looking at and comparing different systems. Again, this is intended to help inform a constructive debate.
Cheers, Steven

JC

John Cherry Sun 7 Oct 2018 6:09PM

Thanks for these postings, Steven. There is an awful lot that we don't know.

Our position here is not to try to do the organic sector down, but rather to find a better way for the vast majority of broad-acre farmers to farm 'conventionally', by cutting inputs of artificial fertiliser and sprays etc, whilst improving their soils and producing better food. This is what Groundswell is all about. I thought I'd explained at the beginning of the project that we are a no-till farm and at the moment that involves using small amounts of glyphosate pre- or peri-drilling. I'll be delighted when we find a better way to do this, but we haven't found that way yet.

SJ

Steven Jacobs Mon 8 Oct 2018 2:59PM

Hi John, yes I must make it clear that when I wrote about organic and CA in the '2019 Crop; the debate what to plant and when' thread I was not referring to you...
-- I contest an argument put in this thread suggesting that Conservation Agriculture is the kinder system for the biota on the farm --
And I did also write this...
-- John and Paul are practicing what is clearly a successful system for them at Weston Farms. I would like to encourage more discussion around rotations and available markets so we can better understand how John's system works and where the crops usually go.
When all this began I had thought that we would grow a crop, it would go to John's usual markets and then we would discuss what to do with any ‘profit’ and to, hopefully, reinvest to help develop the field in the Ourfield project --
I work quite closely with Andy Forbes on a number of projects and I agree his approach, which to my mind is yours too which is that we are all trying to go for a balanced strategy, trying to increase growth of crops for more than simply yield. And what is vitally important is reconnecting people to their food and food producers to those people.
I also agree with you that we should crack on, get some seed in the soil and aim for a reasonable crop under the Weston Farms management.

A

andrea Sun 7 Oct 2018 7:38PM

I wonder how much research the team has conducted on robotics. Here is an article about a French company: https://www.letemps.ch/economie/ecorobotix-lancera-bientot-robots-desherbeurs-marche They claim one can reduce the amount of herbicide by 90-95%.

GH

Grahame Hunter Tue 9 Oct 2018 9:12AM

well it looks fascinating. Pity there are no pictures, but the idea "Mus par l’énergie solaire, les robots d’Ecorobotix ont pour mission de désherber des champs entiers de manière totalement autonome. " is pretty cool.

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