Tidbits, Lies and Whispers

[parsley]

January edition of Top Manager reminds it's' readers that herbicide-resistant weeds are a real... growing......widespread problem.

Group 2 resistant weeds block the normal function of acetolactate synthase. 19 weed species with this resistance are in farmers fields. Yup.

Kotia is the only Group 9 resistant weed and the problem lies with glysophate ...which screws around with an enzyme in the plant.

Groups 1,3,4,5,8, and 25 all show resistance, too, right across West, and are spreading and crossing in nature.

The numbers of species, that have become resistant, are growing within each of these numbers group.

Many countries have banned the use of active ingredients that cause weed resistance.

Soooo,, who owns the weeds that are resistant throughout the Prairies?

Just sayin''. ......,,,, Pars

[oneoff]

It shoulld be pretty hard to argue that a chemical group resistance in a weed has any impact on anyone who isn't spraying any herbicides.

So bring on the arguments; or else lets just ban red herrings.

[parsley]

I'll notify you by registered mail if I ever decide to pay attention to your bans, oneoff. Parsley

[tweety]

Pars, resistance is a natural occurrence. Nothing to worry about.

Someday everything will be resistant to all the existing ag chemistry - its nature's way - its organic.

[parsley]

Tell that to the farmers who tried to ship grain/ flax to the EU. Presence of contamination. Stopped sales. Lost sales. Have you already forgotten? Uh huh.

I posted comments I found in a the January 2015 Bayer Crop Publication which we receive.

Carolyn King names her article, "Tackling a growing threat." It goes on recommending ways to encourage growers to minimize rotations, minimize chemicals, use cultivation, plant forage, plant alternate crops, etc. because of the spread of herbicide resistant weeds. Why would she suggest ways to minimize the "threat" if it really doesn't matter anyways?

Obviously Bayer has one or two small qualms about herbicide resistance not being a desirable outcome of chemical farming.

My question is who pays the cleanup bill once that first weed on Joe Blow's field tests for a bundle of different before-unheard-of characteristics?

Duh.

[parsley]

Fortune magazine has an interesting article about Rick McVey. He is the CEO of a company by the name of MarketAxess Holdings in NYC.. It's an electronic trading company which controls, get this, 85%!of all US electronic corporate fixed-income trading.

He designed a system whereby institutions can trade directly with one another. Five Trillion in corporate bonds trade hands every year. And bonds are his baby He has no debt. His company sales went from $136M in 2010 to an estimated $260M in 2014.

Virtual trading has won. Interesting. Pars.

[tweety]

Well i do remember, but that's not what you're talking about is it? Is it selection pressure you are talking about or herbicide tolerance genetically designed non acceptance based on marketing, trade tariffs, and generally non science based parameters?

Quite a large difference.

Sorry, i'm having trouble following you today.

[parsley]

Everthing will not be considered organic simply because everything will eventually be herbicide resistant.....because you say so. . A Customs-declaration into the EU based upon that assumption is not going to satisfy my organic buyers specs. Buyers decide whether to write the cheque, or not.

I did not bother responding to oneoff's comments about impact on non-spraying farmers, since it is fairly obvious that organic farmers grow,feed, sell and buy organic hay, and organic feedgrains. (Screenings) Creeping contamination would render them ineligible for organic certification.
Parsley.

.

[parsley]

Your farm holds all the promise you can handle; it's all in the way you look at things:

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/Dxy4n0UT82o?rel=0

[tweety]

Well then you and your buyers need to figure out how to coexist with normal agriculture that feeds the majority of the world overcoming your own industries self made problem.

It is not a food safety issue, its a rich persons pseudo-problem. A pointless religious discussion.

But anyway, farmhack is the start of a pretty cool site.