By Alice McFarlane

Study examines an agricultural future without Glyphosate

Jul 24, 2023 | 4:37 PM

Glyphosate has always been an important tool in a farmers’ toolbox.

Recent concerns about the products’ safety prompted a global strategic intelligence firm to examine what a world without glyphosate would be like if the weed control product was no longer available.

Aimpoint Research released a new report, “A Future Without Glyphosate” exploring the complexities of glyphosate’s impact on the agricultural system, farmers’ livelihoods, the economy, and the environment if the most widely used herbicide in the U.S. was no longer available.

Mark Purdy, Aimpoint Research Chief Operations Officer said, ultimately, the report concluded that U.S. farmers and the agricultural system would eventually adapt, but the near-term consequences to the economy, environment, and farmers would be costly and far-reaching.

“Ongoing public debate about glyphosate has led some to question what the impacts would be if it were no longer available and Aimpoint Research is uniquely suited to develop that future scenario,” Purdy said. “We leveraged multiple research methods, including open-source research, economic modeling, subject-matter expert interviews and military-style wargaming techniques to understand the impact of glyphosate on our agricultural system.”

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While it’s believed markets would adapt to a world without glyphosate, it would be a substantial economic cost to farmers, according to Greg Doud, Aimpoint Research chief economist.

“It would cause the rapid release of greenhouse gasses, reversing decades of conservation and sustainability gains. This report confirms what many farmers know, glyphosate is currently a core tool in our modern agricultural system, helping keep costs down and promoting increased conservation practices,” Doud said.

The report stated if glyphosate were no longer available U.S. agriculture would see increased tillage and decreased cover crops, potentially leading to the release of up to 34 million tons of CO2. That’s the equivalent of 6.8 million cars or nearly 36.5 million acres of forests.

Farmers would see a two to two and a half time increase in input costs due to limited supply and higher prices of alternative products. The increase would disproportionately impact smaller farms. Increasing tillage would raise production costs by over $1.9 billion and U.S. corn would become less competitive globally.

The full report is available here.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW