In Alberta where we farm, our growing season is approximately 100 days (give or take), depending on the weather. Everything we do is timed, very precise and done for a very particular reason. We start planting our crops in late-April/early-May, weather permitting of course. Due to our short growing season, among other reasons, we choose to use glyphosate to pre-harvest our wheat.
The Use of Glyphosate on Pre-harvest Wheat
One of the practices that is highly misunderstood is the application of glyphosate for pre-harvesting wheat. In layman’s terms, this simply means spraying our mature wheat crop with glyphosate before it’s ready to be harvested. Though glyphosate is not a true desiccant (a desiccant is applied for rapid dry down & early harvest), it is generally used for weed control and can aid in dry down of crops, but the effects take much longer. This is done with care, precise timing, it is backed by science and it is regulated and monitored.
It’s important to understand that we don’t just spray herbicides recklessly and certainly not needlessly. We aren’t going to spend money on expensive herbicides if we don’t need to; just think about that for a moment. As a business, which our farm is, we want to make a profit and not lose it. We see the accusation constantly that our crops are “drenched” and “doused” in glyphosate. I assure you, they are not.
Recommendations for Pre-Harvest Glyphosate Application
- Always follow the label recommendations
- Glyphosate should be applied when there is 30% or less moisture in the seed, when the seed is firm and with reasonable pressure your thumbnail will leave a dent in the seed.
- It is applied then so glyphosate will not be moved into the grain from the plant; growers are recommended to use the lowest appropriate recommended dose for their target use
- Never harvest earlier than recommended, usually 7 days minimum post-application
We have a Crop Protection Guide to use and according to it, pre-harvest glyphosate must be applied 7-14 days before harvest. If you apply too early it can potentially reduce yields and damage the quality. It’s also important to note that wheat is only 1 of 14 crops registered for pre-harvest glyphosate and there are other desiccants that are commonly used like Reglone, Heat and glufosinate on various crops.
Which “Studies” Say This is Bad?
The study that gets shared and starts misconceptions about glyphosate in farming stem from Stephanie Seneff, a very well known anti-GMO proponent, whom I’ve read about a lot in the last year. One of the reasons why my red flag goes up when Senneff’s name is behind research is that she’s a senior research scientist at the computer science and artificial intelligence lab at MIT with biophysics and electrical engineering degrees also from MIT. So why the research on pesticides from an electrical engineer/computer scientist? Truth be told, she and her colleague didn’t conduct any research at all.
Bloggers like Sarah Pope from The Healthy Home Economist, have a big misunderstanding about wheat and glyphosate. She states on her blog after reading Seneff’s paper: “When you expose wheat to a toxic chemical like glyphosate, it actually releases more seeds resulting in a slightly greater yield.” This is completely false. The yield of the crop is already determined because the wheat has stopped growing—their job is done, the plant is dead. When the plant isn’t green anymore, that means photosynthesis cannot occur or transport nutrients. Spraying glyphosate won’t magically create more kernels of wheat that late in the game to create higher yields, however weeds are still growing which can take away from yields for next year’s crop.
Does Glyphosate Harm Our Health?
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) sets and monitors maximum residue levels (MRLs) using scientific methodology far below the amount that could produce health problems. It is a very safe herbicide to use, even safer than vinegar as a herbicide. Caffeine is ten times more toxic than glyphosate! If accidentally consumed, glyphosate is excreted mostly unchanged in feces and urine, so it doesn’t stay in the body and accumulate. There have been no legitimate studies linking glyphosate to any human health ailments.
In Conclusion
As farmer Greg Peterson stated on his Facebook page: “It is quite frustrating as a farmer to be accused of providing anything but safe and healthy food. If we knew that we weren’t, we would change our methods.” I’m right there with him. It is so disheartening to see written that we grow “toxic wheat”. We take great pride in what we do for a living and part of that is being transparent and honest with all of you. I assure you, unless you have Celiac disease or a wheat allergy, the wheat we grow is not “toxic”.
My farmer tells me that this practice is being used more all the time and that it’s important to note that the product can be misused. This is a practice that is common for our growing area, but may not be used by all wheat farmers. Farmers are not perfect and there needs to be better communication of why you can’t spray too early such as loss in yield and increased MRLs. As I already mentioned, we are up against the calendar with our short growing season. For example, the wheat harvested in our video was graded as number 1 (the highest) before it snowed and was graded as number 3 because of the snow after. A difference of about $0.50 a bushel and about an 8% decrease in value in one snow storm.
So remember: if you ever have a question about farming, ask the farmers! I’m happy to direct you to an expert that can answer further questions.
For more information from people in agriculture, please see:
The Truth About Toxic Wheat by Prairie Californian
Long-Term Glyphosate Use Effect on Wheat by The Farmer’s Life
Wheat Farmers’ Response to Toxic Wheat by Ask the Farmers
Glyphosate use in wheat by Andrew Kniss
One of Glyphosate’s Most Valuable Uses by Mark Keating
References
Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development Crop Protection 2014
Alberta Agridulture and Rural Development Desiccation or Pre-Harvest Glyphosate Application: FAQ
Glyphosate Facts Clarification of Pre-harvest uses of glyphosate: The advantages, practices and monitoring of residue levels
Kniss, A. Salt, Vinegar, and Glyphosate
XiaoZhi Lim. Is glyphosate, used with some GM crops, dangerously toxic to humans?
Hall, E. Roundup and Gut Bacteria
National Pesticide Information Center. Glyphosate General Fact Sheet
National Pesticide Information Center Glyphosate Technical Fact Sheet
RealAgriculture.com Wheat School: Timing a Pre-Harvest Glyphosate Application Right
Ryan, C. The Dose Makes the Poison


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[…] There isn’t much to add to this sorry tale, other than that it lacks evidence, that pesticide residues in food are carefully monitored and stay extremely low, and again, epidemiological studies have not found any connection between glyphosate and the numerous purported illnesses. For more on the details of glyphosate use in wheat, you can read what agricultural scientists and farmers have to say about it over at WeedControlFreaks, or from the perspective of Nurse Loves Farmer. […]
[…] Alberta 2014 […]
[…] to shield out the weeds themselves. In wet areas, glyphosate is sometimes used as a tool for drying down crops before […]
[…] The trailer also features the notorious Dr. Stephanie Seneff, who is still attempting to whistle blow her outlandish claims that glyphosate, which she says is “used in chemical agriculture extensively”, is the cause of many health ailments today and has even gone as far to say as half of all children will have autism by the year 2025 directly related to glyphosate used in agriculture. I’ve already talked about why Dr. Seneff isn’t a trustworthy or credible source in the agriculture conversation in my piece about glyphosate and wheat. […]
[…] tolerance. For example, glyphosate is used to control weeds between rows in orchards and to encourage mature wheat to dessicate so it is ready to be harvested more quickly. If GMOs drastically contribute to the rise of […]
I am a farmer with just a quick comment. I was in awe while reading your article. You are extremely naive to be repeating what you are getting from your sources and the government. Their is big money at play here. You are not in possession of the actual facts. You are in possession of the "facts" as the agri-chemical companies want you to be and as they have warped government regulators. This is sad because you are so nice sounding and upbeat. Please be more careful about believing what you are told. In our life time, Glyphosates will be… Read more »
will not ever eat wheat from your farm again.
Isn’t it great we have these choices?
I’m curious as to what your rebuttal would be to the WHO that recently classified glyphosate as a ‘probable human carcinogen’? Are you still as comfortable and assured in your use of glyphosate? And are you still confident in you and your family consuming food products that have been treated with this chemical?
Sarah, Time nor space afford me all the time required to rebutt much if not most of your assumptions in this piece. Have you asked why the guidelines suggest you not harvest less than 7 days following Roundup application? Are you suggesting that the extensive testing of wheat results by people like Tropical Traditions is untrue? Speaking of researchers who don’t do research, you i assume have checked your wheat grain for Gly/AMPA residues prior to and following application? New research has shown the active ingredient in Roundup is found in every major organ of the body in less than… Read more »
Glad to see you found more time to come back 4 weeks later to keep leaving comments.
[…] A: There is no GMO wheat on the market! Although it looks like drought tolerant genetically engineered wheat will be released in 2016 in Argentina. Round-Up is not killing us, despite a concerted campaign to convince people otherwise! Over-eating and smoking definitely kill people, in contrast glyphosate use in no-tillage has greatly increased food production, lowering the price of food, allowing people to eat more and therefore killing them with obesity – haha :). But seriously, Round-Up has been safely used on wheat pre-harvest in Canada since the late 1980’s. It is used to control weeds in a 100… Read more »
I would like to know your response to this article I read last night. Very detailed research. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC39457…
Edited: after a quick search, I see expert and scientist Steve Savage has addressed this already, here: https://gmoanswers.com/studies/steve-savage-addre… “A key element of the authors’ argument is based on a single example of a study with fish (Senapati et al., 2009). In that study, adverse effects were observed in fish that were exposed to water containing a glyphosate-based herbicide. Samsel and Seneff concluded that the effects observed in the fish were “highly reminiscent of celiac disease.” The Senapati fish paper is itself deeply flawed, but it is also irrelevant.” and “There is no pattern of potential glyphosate exposure for humans in… Read more »
Sarah, As a farmer/agronomist/father why in the world would you use roundup as a desiccant. Wrong for all reasons. This product does do damage to microbial life and ties up some micronutrients in the soil. And as some other people have pointed out our gut bacteria do have the shikimate pathway. Not bashing you like some of these other people just asking you to really step back and think about it. Big food/big chemical/big pharmaceutical/big government are all tied together and of course they aren’t going to release any negative studies on roundup. We are the experiment. If you really… Read more »
Quick response is we don’t use it as a desiccant, I stated that in the article. Will address further when I get home. I’m not surprised, farmers are my most harsh critics.
Well, what I know is this: when myself and my family eat glyphosphate layden wheat we get an eczema like rash and gut aches.
When we eat organic wheat our symptoms go away.
And I think there are thousands of others just like us.
Take what you will from that.
Tracy, an honest question: how do you know your wheat products are "glyphosate-laden"? How do you know with 100% certainty that you react to glyphosate? It's truly a practice that not most of the wheat farmers in the world use, but I'm truly glad that organic wheat fixes the problem for you, though there is no evidence to back up your personal claims that conventional wheat pre-harvested with glyphosate causes eczema and gut aches.
Here is an MIT scientist documenting the problems of Round Up Herbicide in our food system. I certainly think after California said Round Up is a carcinogen you will need to re-study more than the label recommendation for Round Up. Here is the link to MIT work on Round Up https://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/
I've written about why this MIT artificial intelligence scientist (note not agriculture or food related) is not a credible source: http://www.nurselovesfarmer.com/glyphosate-wheat/
What a pack of lies!
There is proper university conducted research showing the proven toxic effects of roundup : http://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/15/4/1416, Dr. Robin Mesnage of the Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics at Kings College in London, revealed new data analysis showing Roundup, the most common brand of Glyphosate based herbicides, is 1,000 times more toxic than genotoxic glyphosate alone due to the inclusion of other toxic chemicals in its mix.
this article is more nonsense from some ***** trying to justify poisoning the food supply the ground and the water it is not needed in any way hasnt been used ofr thousands of years and since it has been pushed health of everyone has gotten worse not better yields and nutrients have gotten lower once you start using this poison you need to keep using more costing more every year not to mention the cost of the genocide machine to spray it wake up ppl poison is poison its making you sick its killing you dont buy anything from those… Read more »
Hi lost wood,
I don't appreciate the name-calling, so if you come back please refrain from doing so. I'm not sure how the food supply is "poisoned", can you explain that a bit further? Actually nutrients have been added to crops with the use of biotechnology, it's one of the many amazing and exciting things available with GMOs.
I wish you the best, you seem a bit scared and worried about our very abundant and safe food supply.
I appreciate this article. Just curious then what your thoughts are that all of a sudden the is an epidemic of ppl who seem to not be able too consume what products comfortably.
Thank you,
Becky
Hi Becky, do you mean "wheat" products? Wheat has not changed on a genetic level in hundreds of years, so I'm not sure why all of a sudden there would be an epidemic of people suddenly not able to tolerate it. The world gets 20% of it's daily calories from wheat, it's pretty remarkable!
This is just one study, of course. Glyphosate might be considered safe for humans given the current state of knowledge, but it might be seen differently when we know more about some health effects that remain mostly unexplained. A few years ago, on a five-week trip in France, I enjoyed as much bread and pastries as I wanted and I felt great; six months later, back in Canada, I had to ban wheat and all gluten from my diet. The incidence of celiac disease and gluten intolerance is increasing; it is absolutely normal to scrutinize products that, after all, are… Read more »
I've never quite understood the "traveling and feeling better eating wheat products" thing, because Canada is a major exporter to European countries. They seek out our high quality wheat to mill for their high-quality products. I've written about this extensively here: http://www.nurselovesfarmer.com/2014/11/the-skinn… and here: http://www.nurselovesfarmer.com/2015/02/the-war-o…
If you need me to clarify anything, please let me know.
[…] The Truth about Glyphosate and Wheat – Nurse Loves Farmer […]
[…] The Truth about Glyphosate and Wheat – Nurse Loves Farmer […]
[…] The Truth About Glyphosate and Wheat Nurse Loves Farmer […]
Thank you for being a voice of reason and please don’t be disheartened by all the negative comments.
Thank you, Brian. There are far more good than bad comments…but it's the bad ones that tend to stick in the forefront of my mind!
Just because you’re a nurse doesn’t give you any credibility. In fact, it cements your belief in western medicine and science. You and your husband the farmer are a lambs, dear nurse, being led to the slaughter on the idea that GMOs are safe and toxic herbicides are harmless. You are both ***** and because of this ridiculously lame and scripted article, I will question the judgement of nurses going forward.
I'm sorry, Nancy, were did I claim that being a nurse gives me credibility? And yes I absolutely believe in medicine and science…you don't? What do you do if you get sick? If you do reply I ask that you do so kindly without calling us further names.
Few more thoughts. No, you didn't say they were good. I do understand the production part of it. I worked as an entomologist for a big corporation and my job was to identify insect infestations and then recommend spraying. We sprayed the hell out of peas, green beans and corn—and we used poisons, nasty poisons. Without them the losses would have been tremendous. It is not possible to grow potatoes here without spraying—I pick the bugs off in my own garden and can barely keep up. No, it is not just Monsanto, there are others that make all sorts of… Read more »
I am late in this interesting discussion. I do find it fascinating and informative as a whole. As a botanist, I have found miss information on both sides, some of it just simple mistakes, others possibly more devious. I do believe the blogger is being upfront and transparent to the best of her ability and that is to be respected. There is a bigger issue, however. The reason we are using various hydrocarbons to increase yield is because the huge population of the world can not be fed by any other means. There is tremendous pressure to provide more and… Read more »
Thanks for the comment, David. I'm not sure anywhere where I eluded that "exotic complex chemicals are good for us", but for the greater good for our farm raising food, we feel it is. I think it's unfair to say "Monsanto does not give one damn about our safety", there's far more to biotechnology and pesticides than Monsanto. It's not great business practice to kill off your customers 😉
Very informative information. I’d say he’s done some solid homework in the issue. Wouldn’t you think?
What was interesting was the style and locations of modern day tumors and how even Monsanto’s own research is somehow aligned. A fair smoking gun wouldn’t you think?
Do you think the headline ‘The Truth about Glyphosates’ should be an impartial discussion about the Truths?
Im interested in reading your opinion on this article.
Regards….
I'd say the conspiracy theorist of all conspiracy theories, perhaps second only to Mike Adams of Natural News, Mercola wrote this so I'll take it with a grain of salt, or perhaps wheat! 😉
[…] and insecticides. Irrational fears among consumers are inflamed by this sort of propaganda. This post and this post give farmers’ perspectives on some of the misinformation with respect to […]
I am glad to find your post that puts to rest the idea of dumping Roundup on wheat to increase seed yield or hasten harvest-readiness. However I must correct your etatements about the safety of glyphosate. Studies find a significant association between glyphosate and myeloproliferative disorders such as Multiple Myeloma. As a nurse you know what a devastating diagnosis this is to receive. The precursor to myeloma is MGUS, “monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance”. One study of populations in Minnesota found twice as many cases of MGUS in a group of pesticide applicators as was found in the general population.… Read more »
Hi Marilyn, the risk is always highest to the applicator, not to the consumer. My husband and our family feel safe using this herbicide and I have a strong personal connection to MM. http://fafdl.org/wiki/index.php?title=Glyphosate_…
My comment related to glyphosate in our food potentially having an effect on the gut microbiome.
Yes, you have made several and I have responded to several.
It's odd, i had a comment here and the blog author replied to me, and i replied back, and now it's gone.
Is this thew way it is? Did it just get lost somehow?
Blog author, please advise, i hope it's not intentional censorship….
I'm not sure what comment? You've made a few. I don't delete comments willy nilly, you can refer to my comment policy if you'd like.
[…] thing that was affirmed to me during the “toxic wheat” debacle that happened a few months ago, was that farming is a lot like parenting. Why? The […]
If you believe that Glyphosate is safe then maybe you believe PCB's and Agent Orange are safe also. Monsanto produced these products also.
Hi Dave, this comment comes up time and time again. That was a different Monsanto, perhaps they should have chosen a different name, hey? I love this article explaining it further: http://www.quora.com/Is-Monsanto-evil
Dear Sarah,
You wrote in this post "There have been no legitimate studies linking glyphosate to any human health ailments". But that was in 2014 – now it's 2015 and the World Health Organization has classified glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/2…
Maybe it's time for a post update?
Margarida Silva
Hi Margarida, it is listed as a "probable" human carcinogen along with working night shifts and smoke from camp fires. There are tons and tons of "probable" carcinogens in the world and the people that are actually at risk from glyphosate are people like my husband who use it directly and mixes it from it's concentrated form. You can read more here from my friend Amanda: http://www.thefarmersdaughterusa.com/2015/03/glyp…
I'm afraid "probable" has two meanings and you're mixing both. In current language "probable" means likely but uncertain. However, in IARC speak, "probable carcinogen" means something wholly different: it means that the chemical has been demonstrated as a true carcinogen from lab studies. So there is no uncertainty there. And this means that there are in fact legitimate studies linking glyphosate to human health ailments. Contrary to what you say. Sorry.
I'm afraid you're mistaken. There is no direct link, no new research has been conducted. Thus the word “probable”. And again—probable to those who use it directly, not the consumer.Sent from my iPhone
Sorry, Sarah, what you say is not correct. See here what the World Health Organization's specialist that chaired the evaluation had to say about the "probability": http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/03/26/us-monsa…
He says there is "sufficient" evidence in animals. So there is a link. He also says there are "hundreds of studies on glyphosate". So there is relevant research. When you write "There is no direct link, no new research has been conducted. Thus the word "probable"." , who's your source? Valid, scientific, independent source, I mean.
Thanks,
Margarida Silva
All of the press releases say that. What cancer does glyphosate cause? "Cancer" is a a very very broad term for a widespread disease.
Also not sure if you read through the link I sent you, but follow the links in this post, it is a very thorough assessment: http://www.thefarmersdaughterusa.com/2015/03/glyp…
Let's not stray from my original point… I'm not trying to discuss the whole glyphosate gives you cancer controversy. I'm just taking issue with your statement here that "There have been no legitimate studies linking glyphosate to any human health ailments". The IARC has found legitimate studies linking glyphosate to human ailments and that's all I'm saying. Wether those studies are robust enough to definitely prove the cancer link (namely non-Hodgkin lymphoma, since you asked), that's for scientists to decide in the coming months and years. The important thing in the meantime is to recognize there is at least some… Read more »
Can you link me to the studies? Because in the report it was specified that their conclusions came from no new data.
Here's the summary of their publication in The Lancet/Oncology: http://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lanonc/PII…
The full monograph will be published as
International Agency for Research on Cancer Volume 112: Some organophosphate insecticides and herbicides: tetrachlorvinphos, parathion, malathion, diazinon and glyphosate. IARC Working Group. Lyon;
3–10 March 2015. IARC Monogr Eval Carcinog Risk Chem Hum.
Enjoy the reading,
Margarida
I transparently admit I am not an expert, I reach out to people who are. This is what my friend Steve Savage (plant scientist) had to say: "Its interesting timing since all of the references are at lest 6 years old and even in the Lancet article they say that a huge epidemiological study from the US (Iowa and North Carolina) didn't see any link with carcinogenicity. Actually that study says that farmers live longer and are less likely to get cancer than the general population." And from Robert Sacerich on his website: http://www.rationalityunleashed.net/roundup-isnt-… "First off, the study they cited… Read more »
[…] expert. I have written about how much glyphosate is sprayed on our crops and I have written about glyphosate on wheat, but it’s my farmer and the agronomists I consulted with that are the experts. I know more […]
Defending poisoning the idiots that are still willing to eat wheat and the GMO crops that are also sprayed with this crap. Amazing. Stunning.
Your rude comments are not tolerated here, Jmac. Please show some kindness and respect.
We are what we eat! Roundup is a poison designed to kill. I congratulate the people posting who have by direct experience tested and trialed removing this source of poison from their food with positive results. The majority if scientific research can be linked to funding sources that desire a predetermined outcome. Direct experience is a very powerful source and should not be discredited by calling it anecdotal. We all have the right to eat what we wish. I don't feel producers have the right to feed us with poisons. Roundup is a poison. Lets not forget that point. We… Read more »
I've never understood the "we are what we eat" slogan…but you're right about this: RoundUp IS a poison, designed to kill weeds. It's designed in a very specific way to kill certain weeds and not harm humans. If anecdotal evidence is going to be considered a powerful source, consider that I'm a farm wife whose husband works in direct contact with glyphosate, it is sprayed around our house in our yard to kill unwanted weeds as it is also sprayed in the fields around us to protect our crops. I have had 2 healthy pregnancies and 2 healthy baby boys.… Read more »
I dont feel the farmers have much of a choice anymore. Just like we have limited choices to the food we are fed. Whether that is wheat, rice, vegetables or meat products.
I don't lay blame on farmers. Salt of the earth people who toil to feed the masses.
It's a corporate driven agenda putting profit before the people.
Monsanto isn't a decent company. The farmers are the decent folk doing the best they can.
Best wishes.
SJF, we are real farmers and I assure you we have plenty of choices. This is a really great blog post explaining more in depth about those choices: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jenny-dewey-rohrich…
So if glyposate is an amino acid formation disrupter and nutritionally results in a lower quality food source why are we doing it? The review ofc Glyphosate is that it is a residual in food even after processing. Further the product is showing up in locations using it in europe in groundwater. Does it not seem to be a price I as a consumer am not willing to pay just for more harvestabl3e calories when farmland per person presevation is a bigger issue?
Oddly enough, Stephen, without the use of crop protection products we would need 37 million more acres of farmable land in Canada, which equals out to all the farmable land currently being used in the province of Saskatchewan (via CropLife Canada). Can I have a citation for "residual in food even after processing" please?
Studies showing residual glyphosate in food: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19411135 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11569770 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1783592 http://cdn.intechweb.org/pdfs/13027.pdf – although the only glyphosate specific mention is in beer You are obviously an intelligent and well educated person, so I am surprised that you did not catch your logic mistake in your response to Hannah VW, regarding glyphosates effect on gut bacteria. You stated: "This might help, taken from David B. from GMO Skepti-Forum: "Here is one study looking at in vitro treatment of bacteria from poultry guts. The minimum detectable effect was at 0.150 mg/ml which is orders of magnitude higher than would be found in the human… Read more »
I don't precisely follow the thread logic here, but let me say that glyphosate in very tiny amounts, like micrograms in the human gut, can exert selective pressures on the microbes. It may take a lot to kill a cell in vitro in single strain culture, but it takes a lot less to inhibit or affect a cell such that it can be overcome by pressure from more resistant species like Pseudomonas. I would suggest looking at the study done in the 1980s on glyphosate effects on the Nicotiana sylvestris plant cells. It shows that glyphosate presence can cause huge… Read more »
I was just shown this: https://twitter.com/CraigBuntNZ/status/5797885967…
And how much glyphosate must be present to cause harm to the millions of bacteria in our guts? What dose is relevant?
Another quick fact sheet on acute/chronic toxicity: http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/die…
I acknowledge fully that I am not an expert, I am reaching out to people that are to learn more about these things.
You do know that while humans may not have the shikimate pathway, the bacteria that comprises our micro-biome does, and since they outnumber our cells 10-1, I would think that we humans would be very concerned about this. And Stephanie Seneff's credentials are impeccable. We are very fortunate to have her on our side — and that is the side of health. If you truly care about your family, I would start spending my energies on how to convert your farm back to conventional, or better yet, organic. Many farmers are doing just that.
We live in a world with free will and choices. Our family chooses to farm this way knowing that what we do is safe and sustainable. As a consumer, you have the choice to buy other 'conventional' and certainly organic food. If Stephanie Seneff has merit in the agriculture world, then so does Mr. Andrew Wakefield in the medical world.
GMO Canada has written on facebook newsfeed:
Somebody should let this nurse know that glyphosate is patented as an antibiotic in 2004, biocide in (2010) and a demineralizer (1964). And somebody ought to wash her mouth out with roundup ! Her blog should be entitled" Nurse loves GMO farmers and parrots big agri's propaganda!
Glyphosate an antibiotic must be getting into our bodies, thus our society is becoming tolerant to it. As you know society is having a large problem with intolerant treatment of antibiotics.
Can you please send me a link? I couldn't find anything. It's a shame that personal attacks need to start like this. There is a lot of misinformation in that statement and I would be happy to chat with them, but not if they're going to wish me to wash my mouth out with RoundUp.
Glyphosate does not affect humans or livestock AT ALL!!! However, it's presence in reproductive processes of microorganisms creates a preferential environment for "bad" bacteria in the gut of cows and humans, etc.. This had been shown to negatively affect dairy cows, and more scientists are starting to unearth the mechanism that causes "good" bacteria in our guts to be out-competed. This mechanism, as well as the bad bacteria—>inflammation—>chronic disease connection, will be subjects of intense study in the coming years. In the mean time, don't eat much processed food, and try to find ways to live a stress-free lifestyle. Because,… Read more »
Hi Ethan,
There's always lots of talk about "bad gut bacteria" with glyphosate, but no one ever follows up with peer-reviewed studies for me to take a look at. Being a farmer and "living a stress-free lifestyle" cannot be used in the same sentence 🙂
Nut allergies are being triggered by inclusion of nut germplasm in crops for helping correct the abnormal amino acid balances which result from gene splicing technology to create various traits such as Bt events and herbicide tolerance. The first feeding trials of GMO soy made this very clear in the results experienced with hogs. All reported in Jeffrey Smith's book Seed of Deception.
Remind me again, what is Jeffrey's Smith's background? What makes him an expert in food, agriculture and/or plant genetics?
Check out the presentation from Dr. Monika Kruger, DVM. for your peer reviewed study on the fate of gut microbiome. Nothing which Monsanto has ever submitted to the FDA or EPA has ever constituted anything thAT RESEMBLES GOOD SCIENCE. Even the courts agreed that Seralini’s work was not flawed science like Monsanto had alleged. Have you examined tHE FATE OF THE SAME RAT SPECIES THAT MONSANTO USES? How about the Ermakovich study which clearly demonstrated with the same rats again that the third generation was sterile? I don’t have time to look up the links. You need to do it… Read more »
You don't have time to back up your claims? Then why bother saying anything at all. Seralini is not a credible resource here.
glyphosate is patented as an antibiotic. . .check it out and then get back to me about whether you think it's harmless. . .
Yes, you're absolutely right. I still think it's harmless when used properly.
Just a question: Do you feed your family with your crops?
We don't eat raw wheat, canola or yellow peas but we buy local canola oil that could very well come from our crops and buy locally milled flour which could also come from our crops.
100 day growing season,of course you are going to spray Roundup…You would be flipping burgers and not be farming that ground.It is all about collateral damage and making a living.It is those who have a conscience that will make a difference.
Six weeks ago, following pure gut instinct, a made one single change in my life. At that point I had hyperthyroid causing me to develop eight inch sweat rings under my arms every two hours. I would go through six t-shirts every day. Also, I was only able to force my body into a very shallow sleep for two hours at a time all night long with natural sleep aids. I also had hypertension as well as chronic knee pain. This suffering has been plaguing me for years now and no one has been able to find a cause. I… Read more »
Although yours is purely anecdotal evidence, I am happy that you found a solution for your health problems. I'm not sure what "highly processed wheat products" you were eating, but like I said—I'm sure glad you're feeling better. Not sure what on earth this has to do with Monsanto and their "greed".
P.S. Your other comment was deleted for vulgarity, please be respectful and watch your language should you continue to comment.
I don't get why people need proof that this stuff is poisonous. Personally I would prefer proof that it's NOT before feeding it to my children! Our bodies are an intricate ecosystem of cells and bacteria – we have considerably more bacterial cells than human ones and science is only just beginning to realise the staggering importance that the flora within us has on our health. Allowing our food sources to be polluted with chemicals is idiocy.
Cigarettes were "harmless" for years. So was asbestos. People don't learn from past mistakes.
Pardon my assertion, but the statement "Allowing our food sources to be polluted with chemicals is idiocy" is absolutely absurd. Our whole makeup, including the food we eat, is composed of different chemicals.
Sarah, I think your comment made you sound like you are a robot, and that Ted is one smart guy. I checked out some things, and I don't think anyone that isn't either a Monsanto employee or a robot would endorse or write some of the other things you've written here. You're going to have to prove yourself now. Where is your farm? How many acres? Pictures of you doing things on your farm? Pictures of your husband, the farmer? Pictures of your family? What are you growing on your farm right now? Pictures of you at work nursing &… Read more »
Ted has been extremely rude and vulgar. Would you like me to forward you his last email? Actually you can read it here. If you browse my blog a bit, you'll find all the answers. We farm in Wheatland Country, Alberta about 6300 acres and we grow wheat, canola and yellow peas. There's photos all over my blog and social media sites of me and my family. It doesn't really take too long to find out that I really am a real person 🙂 I don't have photography exhibits though, not a goal of mine. I don't have a FB… Read more »
Oh, BTW, by viewing my site stats with your IP address I can see you haven't browsed my blog at all, you've been on this blog post for >3 hours. Hope the weather is nice in Salt Lake City!
Anyway here you go: http://instagram.com/p/wXQQCOtUDl/
Thanks, Francesca! Good to hear!
Really, really, really….I’m going to stop reading the comments now. It has been a guilty pleasure, though. I will enjoy the story that “outs” the “farmer loving nurse” as a shill for Monsanto. We’re supposed to believe that a nurse who lives on a farm in Northern Alberta, with two small children, researched and wrote the article above. There are 10 referenced articles, and 4 blogs this links to. Yeah, sure she did. Between working as a nurse, caring for her family and raising two boys, and keeping up with the farm….she writes blog posts that are remarkably polished. She… Read more »
Ted,
I find it extremely rude and disrespectful to use the "shill" card. Really? That, to me, are persons like yourselves' last ditch efforts to discredit me. If I don't made it evidently clear that I'm not a "robot" by sharing most of my life online, then I must have some pretty good robot skills sharing recipes and photos of my daily life on all my social media channels.
Goodbye, please don't come back.
Wow! I’m sorry people are so rude! I truly believe they turn to name calling and saying you’re not even real because they have no other legitimate counter. Thank you for being an “ag”vocate for farmers.
Sorry, but you've made a huge mis-statement. The URL below is to a study, of several, that disprove the unfounded notion the glyphosate doesn't build up in mammalian tissue and organs. Even Monsanto has acknowledged this fact. I submit that there have been no long term studies done to conclude possible toxic effects.
http://omicsonline.org/open-access/detection-of-g…
Which have I misstated?
"If accidentally consumed, glyphosate is excreted mostly unchanged in feces and urine, so it doesn’t stay in the body and accumulate."
This is simply not true. Several studies have shown that glyphosate does bio accumulate. There have been no long term studies regarding potential long term damage or illness due to this bio accumulation.
Where are the several studies?Sent from my iPhone
If you simply read my original post, you will find one there. With the tiniest of effort, you can find more.
Here is an article in Scientific American that indicates glyphosate in humans kill cells: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/weed-wh…
An Article in PubMed indicating a probable causal effect of glyphosate and human breast cancer: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23756170
An article in Entropy regarding studies that suggest that glyphosate may be responsible for a whole host of human ailments: http://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/15/4/1416
the Institute of Science in Society lengthy article (with lots of references) that argues that glyphosate os a potent human cancer progenitor: http://www.i-sis.org.uk/Glyphosate_and_Cancer.php
Well, I'm a busy person with a lot of comments to read, thank you for providing the links. That article references Seralini's work with glyphosate so I'm not very trusting of that information. The breast milk study has proved to be junk science: http://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2014/05/06/… and http://academicsreview.org/2014/04/debunking-pseu… and your Entropy article doesn't work but I assume that is authored by Seneff? I could go on and on about Seneff.
Sarah, I'm curious to know what your opinion is on the increase in health problems in our society. Things like autism, obesity, diabetes, ADHD, heart disease. What do you think is causing this increase in health problems for us, if not our food?
Good question. I think better diagnostics is part of it for autism. The biggest global killer is cardiovascular diseases. Obesity (poor diets—-which is a personal choice, not a fault of the wheat farmer or GMOs, in my opinion) and tobacco use are a huge factor and contributor to carciovascular disease. I know people want to point a finger (ie. vaccines cause autism) and have someone or something to blame…but often that's not the case. People have to take responsibility for their health and make better choices period.