Can No-till /Regen Agric survive without glyphosate? if not we are DOOMED!! I think it can..

richard hammond

Member
BASIS

It’s a biocide and can cause as much or more damage to soil as cultivation. It’s part of no till agriculture I wouldn’t say it belongs in regenerative agriculture.
As much damage , I do not agree! I am aware any ag-chems are not ideal but some save using more damaging methods of difficult weeds, ie couch, (although this weed is not a problem as glyphosate has sorted it and saved a vast amount of fuel and metal)
 

Lowland1

Member
Mixed Farmer
As much damage , I do not agree! I am aware any ag-chems are not ideal but some save using more damaging methods of difficult weeds, ie couch, (although this weed is not a problem as glyphosate has sorted it and saved a vast amount of fuel and metal)
As someone from black fen land I agree totally that couch ( twitch ) is no longer an issue but I think my land in England has become quite sterile because of it. I do believe that continued used is counter productive and starts to damage soil microbial activity. It's an option people shouldn't be without but I do think it comes at a cost to soil health hence my point it's perfect for no till but for regenerative agriculture surely something that's killing soil life isn't the thing to use.
 
Location
Cheshire
As someone from black fen land I agree totally that couch ( twitch ) is no longer an issue but I think my land in England has become quite sterile because of it. I do believe that continued used is counter productive and starts to damage soil microbial activity. It's an option people shouldn't be without but I do think it comes at a cost to soil health hence my point it's perfect for no till but for regenerative agriculture surely something that's killing soil life isn't the thing to use.
It could be cultivation and arable cropping that has made the soil “sterile” .
 

Lowland1

Member
Mixed Farmer
It could be cultivation and arable cropping that has made the soil “sterile” .
When we used to drag after harvest and grow potatoes and spring crops the stubbles would be green over winter when we went to all winter crops and preharvest roundup it’s all nice and clean but dead which of course is what we want but I’m not so sure anymore.
 
Location
Cheshire
When we used to drag after harvest and grow potatoes and spring crops the stubbles would be green over winter when we went to all winter crops and preharvest roundup it’s all nice and clean but dead which of course is what we want but I’m not so sure anymore.
There’s a lot of variables there to blame roundup. Could just as easily be the cocktail of fungicides “sterilising” the soil.
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
serious crop rotation, as in including livestock, has pretty well stopped, and more continuous arable cropping is the normal, rotation is changing type of arable crop.
Then we have zealots preaching, 'only x number of cropping left'. There can be little doubt that soils, especially the lighter ones, are degrading, and some of that is true, regen looks to replace soil resilience and fertility, without the restrictions of organic farming, so some modern tools are really quite helpful, esp round-up, weeds are a serious problem. We use clover and herbs in our swards, and weeds are a pain in the butt, and effective herbicides to control them, are zero, all we can do, is use r-up pre reseed, sow grass only, spray and add clover/herbs, or spot spray. But we are not using r-up, on a yearly basis, like many arable farmers, so, it is a really fantastic chemical, and instead of an outright ban, perhaps strictly governed use, might be better. With the amount of food, we have to import, and the different countries it will come from, to 'ban' r-up, because of carcinogenic fears, will not stop it, via imports.
The inability to use it here, will push costs up, there will be a sub standard replacement, l hope, but our product, will not reflect those extra costs, when selling. The true facts are, if you want cheap food, you have to put up with the methods needed to produce it, you cannot have both.
 

Humble Village Farmer

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Essex
It's too early to compare 40 years of roundup with 10 or 12 thousand years of cultivation. You could argue that repeated exposure to glyphosate over a similar period would have a much worse effect.

What it has enabled is an end to intensive cultivation, allowing some recovery, while we think of a way of managing without either, which I'm sure is possible, perhaps with the odd reset from one or the other.
 

DairyGrazing

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
North West
round-up has been a staple of farming for 40/50 years, an incredible chemical, that transformed farming, but we managed before, and with great difficulty, we will manage after, we have no other option, it is outside our control, in what the powers to be, decide.
In the meantime, the younger members on here, should look up, and listen to, adge cutlers wurzel song
'thee cassn't kill couch'

I think after the war my Grand father would use sulphuric acid to kill weeds?
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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