Just a GMO note

[near horse]

Here’s an e-mail I received from the university extension program regarding oilseed plots. So don’t put all your stock in GMO’s yet.

“This plot of winter canola was planted last August. Three of the Roundup Ready types winter killed. Two have survived. All of the non GMO varieties have survived. Come and see how things are progressing!!”

[Demented Donkey Dame]

Ours is in bloom but looking a bit on the sick side. We thought it was because of the unusal amount of rain we have been having. Keeping our fingers crossed the crops pull out and survive. Not looking good right now with fresh snow on the mountain side and still five feet on top and way to much rain on the prairie.

[near horse]

I don’t remember clearly if it was mentioned previously that some seed companies, like Johnnys, are now owned by Monsanto (thru purchase of Seminis) – well I just read this letter and response from the founder/owner of Johnnys making and explaining the case – Monsanto does not own Johnnys,

Read for yourself.

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-ownership.aspx

[dominiquer60]

Just what we have all been waiting for, RR Bluegrass by Scott’s Miracle Grow. Vanity GMO’s go unregulated???

http://motherjones.com/environment/2011/07/usda-deregulate-roundup-gmo-tom-philpott
http://midwestagriculturallawguide.com/2011/07/roundup-ready-kentucky-bluegrass-great-for-weekend-warrior-bad-for-anti-gmo/

What will be thought of and allowed next?

[Andy Carson]

This might be a strange thought, but I think one of the groups that ought to be concerned about the use of round-up resistant bluegrass in lawns are big commercial farmers who use round-up ready crops. Here’s why…

I bet most lawn owners who opt for this grass will only use round-up when they see a fair amount of weeds. Then, they will probably only use enough round-up to get rid of “most” of the weeds. Next time they see weeds, they will probably use the same application rate, and if this fails to kill most of the weeds, they will use a little more (just enough to kill most weeds). You couldn’t come up with a better plan to select for round-up resistant weeds. Couple this with the fact that not all these lawns will be sprayed at the same time and are close to other lawns, allowing for easy dissemination of weed seeds. Add to this the fact that most landowners cannot and/or will not perform any sort of tillage to remove round-up resistant weeds and are also pretty resistant to reseeding. Also, the wide adaptablity and desirablility of bluegrass means it will likley populate large swaths of the country. Also the perineal nature of lawns gives a home to both annual and pereinial round-up resistant weeds. All together, I bet all these lawns will provide sources and refuge for roundup resistant weeds throughout the country. The seeds of which will blow back into roundup resistant corn, soybeans, and everything else. Jeesh, you almost couldn’t design a better system to breed for round-up resistance weed development. And the system is voluntary, self sustaining, and self funding. I seriously doubt round-up ready crops are long for this world, but is the the enemy of your enemy your friend??? Maybe, but I suspect Monsanto will “deal” with the resistant weeds by developing and selling otehr herbicide reistant crops (such as Glufosinate). Possibly Monsanto will run the whole gambit of herbicides and herbicides resistance gene combinations until they run out of drugs or genes or both. That would be pretty much what happened with antibiotics… It will definately be interesting to see what happens and I bet is won’t take long to find out. I don’t see why a round-up resistant weed would be any more difficult to control by mechanical or organic means, so if you are not “bugged” by the engineered genes this might simply be an “interesting state of affairs,” mattering only to people needing to use the herbicides. I know that is a matter of much debate but that is largely how I look at it.

[near horse]

@Countymouse 28238 wrote:

This might be a strange thought, but I think one of the groups that ought to be concerned about the use of round-up resistant bluegrass in lawns are big commercial farmers who use round-up ready crops. Here’s why…

I bet most lawn owners who opt for this grass will only use round-up when they see a fair amount of weeds. Then, they will probably only use enough round-up to get rid of “most” of the weeds. Next time they see weeds, they will probably use the same application rate, and if this fails to kill most of the weeds, they will use a little more (just enough to kill most weeds). You couldn’t come up with a better plan to select for round-up resistant weeds. Couple this with the fact that not all these lawns will be sprayed at the same time and are close to other lawns, allowing for easy dissemination of weed seeds. Add to this the fact that most landowners cannot and/or will not perform any sort of tillage to remove round-up resistant weeds and are also pretty resistant to reseeding. Also, the wide adaptablity and desirablility of bluegrass means it will likley populate large swaths of the country. Also the perineal nature of lawns gives a home to both annual and pereinial round-up resistant weeds. All together, I bet all these lawns will provide sources and refuge for roundup resistant weeds throughout the country. The seeds of which will blow back into roundup resistant corn, soybeans, and everything else. Jeesh, you almost couldn’t design a better system to breed for round-up resistance weed development. And the system is voluntary, self sustaining, and self funding. I seriously doubt round-up ready crops are long for this world, but is the the enemy of your enemy your friend??? Maybe, but I suspect Monsanto will “deal” with the resistant weeds by developing and selling otehr herbicide reistant crops (such as Glufosinate). Possibly Monsanto will run the whole gambit of herbicides and herbicides resistance gene combinations until they run out of drugs or genes or both. That would be pretty much what happened with antibiotics… It will definately be interesting to see what happens and I bet is won’t take long to find out. I don’t see why a round-up resistant weed would be any more difficult to control by mechanical or organic means, so if you are not “bugged” by the engineered genes this might simply be an “interesting state of affairs,” mattering only to people needing to use the herbicides. I know that is a matter of much debate but that is largely how I look at it.

Andy – I think that RR bluegrass is still more of a problem in commercial ag than in the hands of the homeowner. Commercial growers of other RR crops are already seeing resistant weeds and we’re assuming that they followed all the application protocols suggested by Monsanto. It’s going to happen – to paraphrase the guy in Jurassic Park, “life finds a way to carry on”. Also, actually, non-commercial applicators tend to overapply herbicides to weeds (soak ’em with it rather than the suggested amount) so the concern would be more of too much herbicide in the ‘burbs.

In the west, hopefully the huge water requirements of bluegrass will be its demise. Kind of funny too because BG seed is a big cash crop around here.

[Russel]

Hi all

Last year we planted about 100 ha of roundready corn, up from 10 ha the previous year. Where we farm a grass called eintjies grows in all the mealie (corn) lands and until recently no weedicide would kill it, so we have always cultivated. When we first planted the round up ready mealies we sprayed round up and all of the eintjies were killed, almost 100% effectivity. Then last year we sprayed and only half the eintjies were killed, we sprayed a second time and only half of those left alive were killed. Only after the third spray were all of the eintjies killed. Barring a bad batch of roundup, I think this might be the last time we spray with roundup as it seems the eintjies have adapted already.

Just my two cents…

[Author]

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