Posted on 9/12/2001
US
Farmers Unhappy With Monsanto
From www.producer.com
"I certainly didn't save myself any money and I certainly didn't
save
myself any time."
Robert Stevenson has taken Monsanto to task for herbicide-tolerant
canola
that has begun cropping up on his farm. The canola has appeared
as a
volunteer in his fields for at least three years. This year
was the worst.
"In places it was thick enough to produce a crop," said Stevenson,
who
practices zero tillage at his farm near Kenton, Man. He said
the uninvited
crop is destroying marketing options for some of his crops and
jeopardizing
how he manages his farm.
A lot of the grass seed he produces is sold to Europe, which
restricts
imports of genetically modified canola seed. "The Europeans
will not accept
grass seed that has volunteer canola in it," Stevenson said,
during a
gathering last week in Brandon organized by the Manitoba Zero
Tillage
Research Association to discuss Roundup
Ready crops.
His thoughts struck at the heart of an issue between farmers
and Monsanto,
the maker of Roundup Ready canola. Who bears the responsibility
when a
herbicide-tolerant crop emerges in a field where it was never
planted? Is
it the farmer who owns the field? A neighbour who grew a herbicide-tolerant
crop in a nearby field? Or is it companies like Monsanto that
are bringing
those crops to Western Canada? Stevenson believes the responsibility
rests
with Monsanto. "I expect full compensation for what's been happening
to me
now and in the future."
In an interview, Monsanto spokesperson Trish Jordan said the
company is
discussing with Stevenson compensation and management of the
herbicide-tolerant volunteers on his land. While she did not
want to
discuss the amount of compensation, Jordan said some money has
already been
paid to Stevenson this year to help control the canola volunteers.
"He
feels this will be a process where Monsanto will have to pay
him for the
rest of his farming career," said Jordan. "That is where we
haven't come to
an agreement." Jordan said when Monsanto is called about unexpected
herbicide-tolerant canola volunteers, the company will check
to determine
if the plants are Roundup Ready types and if so will discuss
options for
control with the producer. She said the company had about 20
calls from
growers dealing with that issue this year. Less than 2,000 acres
were
involved. "Monsanto works with the farmer to address the situation
to their
satisfaction."
Stevenson disagrees. "That program is so unrealistic," he said.
"The way it
works is on a field-by-field basis. "Who has time to argue on
every field,
field after field, and that's what they're doing." Stevenson's
crops this
year included meadow brome for grass seed. Besides spraying
to control the
volunteers, he said swathing was done in early September to
prevent the
volunteers from setting seed. He considers Monsanto's program
for dealing
with the issue less than farmer friendly. "They come out and
they question
your management. Then they question your ability to keep your
seed clean.
"It's a very confrontational approach. Then they say they'd
like to assist
you."
In Chris Dzisiak's opinion, one year of gain from growing a
herbicide-tolerant canola translates into three years of pain.
Dzisiak, a
zero till farmer from Dauphin, Man., planted Roundup Ready canola
in 1999.
He wanted a crop where he could use less herbicide while still
getting good
weed control without the need for tillage. Dzisiak may have
gotten what he
wanted in 1999. What he didn't bargain for were some of the
problems he has
encountered since.
In 2000, volunteer canola appeared in the 156 acre field where
Roundup
Ready canola had been planted the year before. The field was
planted to
wheat in 2000. Dzisiak controlled the volunteers with 2,4-D.
But he said
his problems with the volunteer canola became more acute this
year when he
planted the same field to flax. A preseed burnoff failed to
control the
herbicide-tolerant plants. That prompted Dzisiak to apply a
Buctril
M/Select mix to the flax crop soon after it had emerged. The
Buctril M was
applied at full rate. Dzisiak killed the volunteer canola, but
his flax
crop suffered because of the high rate of herbicide, he told
a gathering of
minimum and zero till farmers in Brandon last week.
The stunted flax grew slowly over the next two weeks, allowing
wild oats
and volunteer wheat to flourish. The result, according to Dzisiak,
was a
yield loss of three bushels an acre in his flax crop. He estimates
he lost
$4,500 this year because of the yield loss, the extra herbicide
costs to
control the volunteer canola, and the excess dockage in his
flax due to the
wheat volunteers and wild oats. He expects problems with the
herbicide-tolerant canola again next year when he plants peas
on the field.
Dzisiak doubts he will ever grow a Roundup Ready crop again
because the
problems outweighed the benefits. "I certainly didn't save myself
any money
and I certainly didn't save myself any time."
A concern about herbicide-tolerant canola volunteers was prevalent
throughout the one-day meeting. Roundup Ready canola is a product
of
Monsanto.
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