Grain millers and fall applied roundup!

[SASKFARMER3]

I like it to have entire fields ready to go at same time. Example if your seeding 4 quarters spray same day all are ready around day 10 to 14 in fall.
It has worked very fine. Yes years ago use to harvest oats strait without.
I guess its back to the old ways.
Just hope they don't get wheat then its swather 1 0h 1.

[Cattleman]

How do you guys manage for goose or deer feces in oats if not straight cutting? Do you all straight cut, or just take your chances?

[pourfarmer]

So swath it all the same day and it will all be ready the same time?

[wmoebis]

sf3 where did you find this info? Straight from millers is it all millers or just 1?

[newguy]

What I worry about is that this is just the beginning of restrictions of roundup use.i am fine with change but is the consumer ok with higher food prices because of less production in the world.

[hobbyfrmr]

leave them standing longer. My large acre farming neighbours do some pre harvest on oats, but they will each have 3,000 to 15,000 acres of oats standing on any given harvest season.
The really heavy yields (160-220 bu/acre) might lodge but what I have seen with lifters and pickup reel, they really don't lose that much.

[TraderJoe]

Here is the email from Grain Millers...

Dear Suppliers,

After much deliberation, we feel it is necessary to put into force this fall a new policy regarding the pre-harvest application of glyphosate. See the attached document for the official release, which is being made broadly public today.

While we recognize that this may be a controversial step, and that it will impact the convenience of oat harvest for many of our suppliers, our research into functional quality issues demonstrates that it is a step we must take.
For those of you who already have contract business on the books with us for this fall, we cannot arbitrarily and after-the-fact alter the contract specifications. As such, production under those contracts will be exempted from this new policy. However, having said that, we would appreciate very much if contract holders would respect the new policy, and would avoid the use of pre-harvest glyphosate, wherever possible.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to give me a call to discuss.

Best regards,
Terry Tyson
306-786-4682

[pourfarmer]

I am happy to see things changing on this front, most city people I talk to don't believe me when I explain the desiccation process to them. They are disgusted and can't believe producers are willing to spray toxic chemicals immediately prior to harvest just to avoid the risk/cost that goes along with swathing/leaving stand. I can't wait to gauge their reaction when I tell them they've been labelled as "freaks" in the ag community for not wanting additional chemicals on their food.

[TraderJoe]

And here also is a reply from Grain Millers to an inquiry made about the release...

We can appreciate where you’re coming from, and we are aware that this move may eliminate some suppliers from wanting to continue to work with us. This decision was not taken lightly, and was about 3 years in the making. The timing of us arriving here around the same time as this recent E.U. “research” is unfortunate, but coincidental. We will do our best to publicly say that, so as not to vilify glyphosate or conventional farming practices in general – there is more than enough of that going on.

In the intervening years since we first identified the issue, we have spent what time we have at producer meetings, phone calls, etc trying to spread the message that the functional issues can be avoided if the application is done properly. However, we have continued to encounter the issues, and the really difficult factor in all of this is that the damage is subtle enough that we can’t identify / control it at the pit, but it greatly affects downstream product quality. This lack of ability to identify and control up front, coupled with the fact that it’s likely there will always be some amount of temptation, or an “itchy trigger finger”, if you will, on farm in the fall to apply too early, led us to determine that the only effective way we would have to mitigate the problem would be to take this step

[wmoebis]

So this is just Grain Millers INC. Not industry requirement/ request.

[TraderJoe]

At this point yes, it is just Grain Millers

[wmoebis]

THX Traderjoe and it will be contract spec only! Is there a residual test that can be done at time of delivery or how will bins be kept separated until testing is done?
I see this as being very hard to administer or enforce.

Not trying to be negative, A contract is a contract, but a lot of different companies start putting different restrictions into contracts, farmers will have to start binning by contract and quality and variety etc. Seems to be getting a little much.