Weed Killer Under Attack From Tree Huggers

townhall.com ^ | 6/24/2017 | Brian Darling

[rktman]

For over two years now, environmental activists and anti-industry groups have been raging against the U.S. government, the European Union, and practically anybody else that would listen about the herbicide glyphosate.

Glyphosate is a weed killer and the main ingredient in RoundUp. Weed killers are obviously a critical tool for American farmers and farmers around the world. The left-wingers are attacking weed killers despite the chemical receiving a clean bill of health from both the EPA and Europe’s main food safety and chemical authorities.

PRI.org reported late last year that “in November 2015, the European Food Safety Authority, or EFSA, found that glyphosate was ‘unlikely’ to cause cancer in humans. In the US, the EPA released a report that also said glyphosate was unlikely to cause cancer. That report was posted online in late April, but disappeared three days later. The EPA says that, although the report was labeled ‘final’ on every page, it was prematurely released.” Yet the left wingers are protesting from California to France and have been marching in the streets and testing their own urine to get it banned or restricted.

[rktman]

"the EPA released a report that also said glyphosate was unlikely to cause cancer." Well probably except calibfornia where apparently ANYTHING will be "KNOWN TO CAUSE CANCER". Including drinking out of your garden hose. I currently have on hand 2 and a half gallon jug of glyphosate concentrate to be mixed. Works pretty good. Takes a little longer than I would like on sage brush, like two weeks. We've also started trying the 1 gal vinegar/1 cup salt/1 tsp dishwashing soap. Still looking for results after a week but have noticed some of the weeds starting to brown up. As difi would say "Spray and prey."

[rktman]

Someone beat me to this so please pull this post. THX

[mplc51]

My dad farms 400 acres for 50 years, always used Round Up
Spilled it on his hands and next to the well.He is 82, mom 80
NO CANCER EVER.............Complete BS

[HLPhat]

“Since the introduction of Roundup Ready® crops in 1996 and the dramatic decrease in its price, glyphosate has been widely used for both burndown and in-crop weed control. This significantly increased the number of acres where glyphosate is used (see Figure 1) and greatly increased the potential for selecting glyphosate-resistant weeds.”
www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/gwc/gwc-1.pdf

Oops!

I’m guessing the herbicide “diversity” plan in place in the typical yards of suburbia is { crickets, cricket, crickets }

We control weeds in our yards by pulling them and feeding them to our chickens.

[9YearLurker]

You do realize that stuff that causes cancer usually does so on a statistical basis over a large number of people, not everyone who comes in contact with it—don’t you?

[Noumenon]

Crap. I’d better load up on GroundClear and 2,4D.

[Dixie Yooper]

Last year, my HOA imposed weed-free rules on our lawns and gardens... We’re all on well water, and our lot sizes go from 1.5 to 6 acres, with woods on half or less. I don’t want Agent Orange, Round-up or any of their little cousins in my drinking, cleaning and bathing water. The HOA rules are being revised, not because of the EPA or DNR or any county intervention. Common sense prevailed for once.
Garden hoses by the way, unless specified as Lead Free, leach off more lead than any plumbing fitting or faucet does.
Unless you want to become another Flint-like or medical statistic, start to at least use common sense when pretending to be a chemical engineer your lawns and gardens.

[thirst4truth]

Good to know, I cannot farm without round up. It is not systemic, it goes on the leaves and stays there, it never reaches the soil, totally safe.
Not even considering farming, what about gravel driveways, how can one keep those clear, if we can’t use round up?

[rktman]

Problem #1=hoa.

Problem #2=I forgot to get my chemical engineering degree

;-)

[txrefugee]

Ah this snowflake generation, propagandized by TV cartoons in their pre-school years and then handed over to government teachers to finish the job of turning them into fearful, self-centered shells of humanity.

As a child during the ‘50s, I was a “flagger” on our farm, flagging the crop dusters who sprayed DDT over our cotton crop to kill the boll weevils. Some of the pilots were not careful about shutting off the insecticide as I stood at the end row of the plot being sprayed and when I got home, I was marinating in DDT. I’m in good health and almost 80. A lot of what we are told is alarmist bunk and perhaps shortens our life because of the stress the media creates with their hysterical warnings about everything.

[IC Ken]

For a gravel driveway I use a big pot of water (close to 5 gallons) add a few pounds of rock salt and boil. Nothing grows for years when sprayed on the gravel.

[9YearLurker]

Again, such exposure doesn’t cause cancer in everyone mishandling such material—only a typically small percentage of them.

There are all kinds of stats showing farmers, farm workers and farm children having elevated cancer rates.

I grew up on a farm as well and my uncle who was in charge of that stuff died relatively young from leukemia. His story, like yours, is anecdotal—but there are stats that will bear out the relationship.

[ptsal]

Yep.... I got the field-flagger washdown too.

I even got to see the pilot snag a wheel on the powerline.

Lucky for him it was only one wire and only cause the plane to bobble and wiggle for a few moments.

[kjam22]

Diesel works pretty good..... :)

[NYAmerican]

“1 gal vinegar/1 cup salt/1 tsp dishwashing soap”

I use this formula, with Epsom Salts rather than plain salt, and it works great! I know exactly what I am spraying all over my property and have no need to put my faith or my dollars in Monsanto, or Dow, or some other crony capitalist globalist corporation.

[Dusty Road]

Proven safe over and over, hell you can even use it on ponds to eliminate aquatic growth with no ill effects on fish. It doesn’t leach into soil like some chemicals and what is on the soil is destroyed by microbes rather quickly. Depending on how it’s applied many times it never comes in contact with the soil.

[rktman]

When I read up on the mix, it seemed that epsom was a temp fix with salt being a more permanent fix. We shall see I suppose.

[Nifster]

Explain to me how garden hoses leach lead.....from where?

[Dixie Yooper]

Google “lead in garden hoses” and read it yourself. You’re not my task master.

[Dusty Road]

The salt is worse for the soil than glyphosate.