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Despite numerous studies indicating that glyphosate is safe, ongoing public debate still leads to questions concerning what the impact would be if this popular herbicide was no longer available to no-tillers. First marketed in 1974, the most widely used herbicide in the U.S. will soon be used by no-tillers for 50 years.
No-Tillers Hit the Hardest
A recent study from Aimpoint Research shows that if a glyphosate ban took place, crop input costs could increase by twice as much due to higher-priced weed control alternatives. No-tillers would be hit the hardest because they rely extensively on glyphosate for effective weed control.
Such a ban would lead to more excessive tillage to control weeds, a reduction in soil health, increased fuel usage and fewer herbicide tolerant crops.
Funded by Bayer, the manufacturers of Roundup, the study points out that a glyphosate ban would also lead to the more rapid release of greenhouse gases, wiping out decades of conservation and sustainability gains. A ban would also lead to higher food prices.
Source: 2022 study by the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service
Since 2016, glyphosate usage has led to a 13% reduction in water erosion, a 16% reduction in wind erosion and a 22% reduction in soil sediment loss.
Aussies Big on No-Till
Steven Powles doesn’t beat around the bush when it comes to the value of glyphosate with no-till in Australia. The veteran weed scientist says no-till in Australia can’t survive without glyphosate as a burndown herbicide. He credits glyphosate with the widespread adoption of no-till in Australia where more than 70% of the wheat in western Australia is no-tilled to curb wind erosion and save moisture.
However, Powles warns that glyphosate’s future is threatened not only by increasing weed resistance, but also by regulatory challenges regarding human health and the environment.
“U.S. farmers who have switched no-till save 588 million gallons of diesel fuel annually, enough energy to power more than 720,000 homes for a year…” – U.S. Department of Agriculture data
With few new herbicide developments on the horizon to replace glyphosate, we can’t afford to lose this highly popular herbicide. The continued use of this herbicide is essential to not only maintain the current no-till acreage, but also to see more no-tilled fields in the future.
