I'm not sure whether to find this title more disturbing or schadenfreude-inducing: "'Superweed' explosion threatens Monsanto heartlands." Apparently a new "superweed" called Evil Pigweed has evolved to resist Monsanto's Roundup. Sooo... now that the crops AND the weeds are Roundup Ready, it kinda defeats the point of buying Roundup Ready seeds, doesn't it? How evil is this pigweed? Well...
"Palmer pigweed is the one pest you don't want, it is so dominating," says Culpepper. Pigweed can produce 10,000 seeds at a time, is drought-resistant, and has very diverse genetics. It can grow to three metres high and easily smother young cotton plants.
Farmers abandoned 10,000 acres in the heart of the superweed explosion, and other farmers report hand weeding their fields. I'm no farmer but I'm curious if cover crops might help suppress weeds in areas that haven't been hit (or haven't been hit hard yet) with this superweed. But Monsanto's got other suggestions for the farmers:
Indeed, according to Monsanto press releases, company sales representatives are encouraging farmers to mix glyphosate and older herbicides such as 2,4-D, a herbicide which was banned in Sweden, Denmark and Norway over its links to cancer, reproductive harm and mental impairment. 2,4-D is also well-known for being a component of Agent Orange, a toxic herbicide which was used in chemical warfare in Vietnam in the 1960s.
Why do we consider these chemicals acceptable to use at all let alone on our food???
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