The stories became far too frequent to ignore.
Emails from folks with allergic or digestive issues to wheat in the United States experienced no symptoms whatsoever when they tried eating pasta on vacation in Italy.
Confused parents wondering why wheat consumption sometimes triggered autoimmune reactions in their children but not at other times.
In my own home, I’ve long pondered why my husband can eat the wheat I prepare at home, but he experiences negative digestive effects eating even a single roll in a restaurant.
There is clearly something going on with wheat that is not well known by the general public. It goes far and beyond organic versus nonorganic, gluten or hybridization because even conventional wheat triggers no symptoms for some who eat wheat in other parts of the world.
What indeed is going on with wheat?
For quite some time, I secretly harbored the notion that wheat in the United States must, in fact, be genetically modified. GMO wheat secretly invading the North American food supply seemed the only thing that made sense and could account for the varied experiences I was hearing about.
I reasoned that it couldn’t be the gluten or wheat hybridization. Gluten and wheat hybrids have been consumed for thousands of years. It just didn’t make sense that this could be the reason for so many people suddenly having problems with wheat and gluten in general in the past 5-10 years.
Finally, the answer came over dinner a couple of months ago with a friend who was well versed in the wheat production process. I started researching the issue for myself, and was, quite frankly, horrified at what I discovered.
The good news is that the reason wheat has become so toxic in the United States is not because it is secretly GMO as I had feared (thank goodness!).
The bad news is that the problem lies with the manner in which wheat is grown and harvested by conventional wheat farmers.
You’re going to want to sit down for this one. I’ve had some folks burst into tears in horror when I passed along this information before.
Common wheat harvest protocol in the United States is to drench the wheat fields with Roundup several days before the combine harvesters work through the fields as the practice allows for an earlier, easier and bigger harvest
Pre-harvest application of the herbicide Roundup or other herbicides containing the deadly active ingredient glyphosate to wheat and barley as a desiccant was suggested as early as 1980. It has since become routine over the past 15 years and is used as a drying agent 7-10 days before harvest within the conventional farming community.
According to Dr. Stephanie Seneff of MIT who has studied the issue in depth and who I recently saw present on the subject at a nutritional Conference in Indianapolis, desiccating non-organic wheat crops with glyphosate just before harvest came into vogue late in the 1990’s with the result that most of the non-organic wheat in the United States is now contaminated with it. Seneff explains that when you expose wheat to a toxic chemical like glyphosate, it actually releases more seeds resulting in a slightly greater yield: “It ‘goes to seed’ as it dies. At its last gasp, it releases the seed” says Dr. Seneff.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, as of 2012, 99% of durum wheat, 97% of spring wheat, and 61% of winter wheat has been treated with herbicides. This is an increase from 88% for durum wheat, 91% for spring wheat and 47% for winter wheat since 1998.
Here’s what wheat farmer Keith Lewis has to say about the practice:
I have been a wheat farmer for 50 yrs and one wheat production practice that is very common is applying the herbicide Roundup (glyposate) just prior to harvest. Roundup is licensed for preharvest weed control. Monsanto, the manufacturer of Roundup claims that application to plants at over 30% kernel moisture result in roundup uptake by the plant into the kernels. Farmers like this practice because Roundup kills the wheat plant allowing an earlier harvest.
A wheat field often ripens unevenly, thus applying Roundup preharvest evens up the greener parts of the field with the more mature. The result is on the less mature areas Roundup is translocated into the kernels and eventually harvested as such.
This practice is not licensed. Farmers mistakenly call it “dessication.” Consumers eating products made from wheat flour are undoubtedly consuming minute amounts of Roundup. An interesting aside, malt barley which is made into beer is not acceptable in the marketplace if it has been sprayed with preharvest Roundup. Lentils and peas are not accepted in the market place if it was sprayed with preharvest roundup….. but wheat is ok.. This farming practice greatly concerns me and it should further concern consumers of wheat products.
Here’s what wheat farmer Seth Woodland of Woodland and Wheat in Idaho had to say about the practice of using herbicides for wheat dry down:
That practice is bad . I have fellow farmers around me that do it and it is sad. Lucky for you not all of us farm that way. Being the farmer and also the president of a business, we are proud to say that we do not use round up on our wheat ever!
This practice is not just widespread in the United States either. The Food Standards Agency in the United Kingdom reports that use of Roundup as a wheat desiccant results in glyphosate residues regularly showing up in bread samples. Other European countries are waking up to to the danger, however. In the Netherlands, use of Roundup is completely banned with France likely soon to follow.
Using Roundup on wheat crops throughout the entire growing season and even as a desiccant just prior to harvest may save the farmer money and increase profits, but it is devastating to the health of the consumer who ultimately consumes the glyphosate residue laden wheat kernels.
The chart below of skyrocketing applications of glyphosate to US wheat crops since 1990 and the incidence of celiac disease is from a December 2013 study published in the Journal Interdisciplinary Toxicology examining glyphosate pathways to autoimmune disease. Remember that wheat is not currently GMO or “Roundup Ready” meaning it is not resistant to its withering effects like GMO corn or GMO soy, so application of glyphosate to wheat would actually kill it.
While the herbicide industry maintains that glyphosate is minimally toxic to humans, research published in the Journal Entropy strongly argues otherwise by shedding light on exactly how glyphosate disrupts mammalian physiology.
Authored by Anthony Samsel and Stephanie Seneff of MIT, the paper investigates glyphosate’s inhibition of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, an overlooked component of lethal toxicity to mammals.
The currently accepted view is that ghyphosate is not harmful to humans or any mammals. This flawed view is so pervasive in the conventional farming community that Roundup salesmen have been known to foolishly drink it during presentations!
However, just because Roundup doesn’t kill you immediately doesn’t make it nontoxic. In fact, the active ingredient in Roundup lethally disrupts the all important shikimate pathway found in beneficial gut microbes which is responsible for synthesis of critical amino acids.
Friendly gut bacteria, also called probiotics, play a critical role in human health. Gut bacteria aid digestion, prevent permeability of the gastointestinal tract (which discourages the development of autoimmune disease), synthesize vitamins and provide the foundation for robust immunity. In essence:
Roundup significantly disrupts the functioning of beneficial bacteria in the gut and contributes to permeability of the intestinal wall and consequent expression of autoimmune disease symptoms
In synergy with disruption of the biosynthesis of important amino acids via the shikimate pathway, glyphosate inhibits the cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes produced by the gut microbiome. CYP enzymes are critical to human biology because they detoxify the multitude of foreign chemical compounds, xenobiotics, that we are exposed to in our modern environment today.
As a result, humans exposed to glyphosate through use of Roundup in their community or through ingestion of its residues on industrialized food products become even more vulnerable to the damaging effects of other chemicals and environmental toxins they encounter!
What’s worse is that the negative impact of glyphosate exposure is slow and insidious over months and years as inflammation gradually gains a foothold in the cellular systems of the body.
The consequences of this systemic inflammation are most of the diseases and conditions associated with the Western lifestyle:
- Gastrointestinal disorders
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Heart Disease
- Depression
- Autism
- Infertility
- Cancer
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Alzheimer’s disease
- And the list goes on and on and on …
In a nutshell, Dr. Seneff’s study of Roundup’s ghastly glyphosate which the wheat crop in the United States is doused with uncovers the manner in which this lethal toxin harms the human body by decimating beneficial gut microbes with the tragic end result of disease, degeneration, and widespread suffering
Got the picture yet?
Even if you think you have no trouble digesting wheat, it is still very wise to avoid conventional wheat as much as possible in your diet!
You Must Avoid Toxic Wheat No Matter What
The bottom line is that avoidance of conventional wheat in the United States is absolutely imperative even if you don’t currently have a gluten allergy or wheat sensitivity. The increase in the amount of glyphosate applied to wheat closely correlates with the rise of celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Dr. Seneff points out that the increases in these diseases are not just genetic in nature, but also have an environmental cause as not all patient symptoms are alleviated by eliminating gluten from the diet.
The effects of deadly glyphosate on your biology are so insidious that lack of symptoms today means literally nothing.
If you don’t have problems with wheat now, you will in the future if you keep eating conventionally produced, toxic wheat!
How to Eat Wheat Safely
Obviously, if you’ve already developed a sensitivity or allergy to wheat, you must avoid it. Period.
But, if you aren’t celiac or gluten sensitive and would like to consume this ancestral food safely, you can do what we do in our home. We source organic, naturally low in gluten, unhybridized Einkorn wheat for breadmaking, pancakes, cookies etc. Please note that einkorn is not to be confused with the more general term farro, which includes emmer and spelt, which are both hybridized. You can learn more about the scientific research on the “good” gluten in einkorn in this article.
When we eat out or are purchasing food from the store, conventional wheat products are rejected without exception. This despite the fact that we have no gluten allergies whatsoever in our home – yet.
I am firmly convinced that if we did nothing, our entire family at some point would develop sensitivity to wheat or autoimmune disease in some form due to the toxic manner in which it is processed and the glyphosate residues that are contained in conventional wheat products.
What Are You Going to Do About Toxic Wheat?
How did you react to the news that US wheat farmers are using Roundup, not just to kill weeds, but to dry out the wheat plants to allow for an earlier, easier and bigger harvest and that such a practice causes absorption of toxic glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup and other herbicides, right into the wheat kernels themselves?
Did you feel outraged and violated like I did? How will you implement a conventional wheat-avoidance strategy going forward even if you haven’t yet developed a problem with gluten or wheat sensitivity?
What about other crops where Roundup is used as a pre-harvest dessicant such as barley, sugar cane, rice, seeds, dried beans and peas, sugar cane, sweet potatoes, and sugar beets? Will you only be buying these crops in organic form from now on to avoid this modern, man-made scourge?
UPDATE: The Soil Association in July 2015 called for an immediate ban on the use of glyphosate for wheat ripening and desiccation purposes. The nonprofit reports that glyphosate residues are widely found in nonorganic wheat samples and the use of the herbicide on wheat crops has increased 400% in the past two decades.
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.
Peter Melchett, Soil Association policy director said; “If Glyphosate ends up in bread it’s impossible for people to avoid it, unless they are eating organic. On the other hand, farmers could easily choose not to use Glyphosate as a spray on wheat crops – just before they are harvested. This is why the Soil Association is calling for the immediate ending of the use of Glyphosate sprays on wheat destined for use in bread.”
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Sources and More Information
Roundup: Quick Death for Weeds, Slow and Painful Death for You
Glyphosate now commonly found in human urine
Study: Glyphosate, Celiac and Gluten Intolerance
The Glyphosate, Celiac Disease Connection
Hybrid Wheat is Not the Same as GMO Wheat
The Dutch Ban Roundup, France and Brazil to Follow
Is it the Gluten or is it the Glyphosate?
How to Mix and Use Gluten Free Flour
Can Celiacs Eat Sourdough Bread?
Pre-harvest Application of Glyphosate to Wheat
The Dirty Little Secret About Gluten Free
Yield and quality of wheat seeds as a function of desiccation stages and herbicides
Wheat farmer weighs in on the use of Roundup as a wheat desiccant
Article 2
Is Glyphosate (Monsanto’s Roundup) Used On Wheat?
Yesterday [November 13, 2014] I posted an article on Facebook that said many people’s issues with wheat digestion may be due to the poison sprayed on the crop rather than to true gluten intolerance.
The post got quite a few views very quickly. It seems that many people are concerned about gluten intolerance and poisoned food crops. The article’s claim is that glyphosate (an active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup) is used on wheat crops and may be a cause of digestive issues mistakenly attributed to gluten intolerance. Two of the comments to my Facebook post caught my attention and prompted me to take a more careful look at the article’s claims. Is glyphosate actually used on wheat crops in the U.S. and could it be causing digestive problems?
One reader said: “Not sure where this info comes from, but I know of no farmers who do this and selling to farmers is our business..”
Another reader re-posted a longer comment (from the original article), of which I will quote only part: “Yes, we are finding this article to be very *interesting* as our family has been wheat/cattle ranchers for…generations. And we’ve never heard of anyone doing this and we ourselves sure don’t. . . .”
These comments and others to the original article seem to imply that using glyphosate on wheat is an uncommon or nonexistent practice. I thought the comments deserved to be investigated. If I had posted an article that was incorrect, I wanted to know!
As usual, I did a Google search on the topic of glyphosate application to wheat crops. I found lots of support for the fact that applying glyphosate to wheat is common and has been widely used for the last 15 to 20 years.
Dr. Stephanie Seneff, a professor at MIT, says in a quotation from the [this is a long quotation, but it has useful information that explains how glyphosate used on wheat could cause digestive–and immune system–issues]:
The use of glyphosate on wheat crops has risen in tandem with the rise in celiac disease. In fact, it correlates to a greater degree than glyphosate usage on corn and soy.
According to Dr. Seneff, desiccating non-organic wheat crops with glyphosate just before harvest came in vogue about 15 years ago. Interestingly enough, when you expose wheat to a toxic chemical like glyphosate, it actually releases more seeds. “It ‘goes to seed’ as it dies,” Dr. Seneff explains. “At its last gasp, it releases the seed.”
This results in slightly greater yield, and the glyphosate also kills rye grass, a major weed problem for wheat growers that is resistant to many other herbicides. What they’re not taking into consideration is the fact that rye grass helps rebalance the soil, and from that perspective is a beneficial plant.
So, most of the non-organic wheat supply is now contaminated with glyphosate. A large percentage of processed foods are made from wheat, and this helps explain the explosion of celiac disease and other gut dysfunction.
What happens is that the villi in your gut get destroyed by the glyphosate, which reduces your ability to absorb vitamins and minerals. Also, wheat contains gliadin, which is difficult to break down. Normally, a reaction takes place that builds connections between different proteins in the wheat.
But glyphosate gets right in the middle of that process too, resulting in wheat that is highly indigestible. Dr. Seneff and her co-researcher Dr. Anthony Samsel believe the glyphosate may attach to the gliadin as a consequence of a chemical reaction. The end result is that your body develops an immune reaction. [source] [study]
A long-time wheat farmer had this to say about glyphosate use:
Keith Lewis, a wheat farmer, left this insightful comment about modern wheat growing practices:
. . .
I have been a wheat farmer for 50 yrs and one wheat production practice that is very common is applying the herbicide Roundup (glyposate) [sic] just prior to harvest. Roundup is licensed for preharvest weed control. Monsanto, the manufacturer of Roundup claims that application to plants at over 30% kernel moisture result in roundup uptake by the plant into the kernels. Farmers like this practice because Roundup kills the wheat plant allowing an earlier harvest.
A wheat field often ripens unevenly, thus applying Roundup preharvest evens up the greener parts of the field with the more mature. The result is on the less mature areas Roundup is translocated into the kernels and eventually harvested as such.
This practice is not licensed. Farmers mistakenly call it “dessication.” Consumers eating products made from wheat flour are undoubtedly consuming minute amounts of Roundup. [source]
The article “Glyphosate: A Trajectory of Human Misery,” says that “Glyphosate is used not only on Roundup Ready crops, but also on glyphosate-sensitive sugar cane and wheat shortly before harvest, when it acts as a dessicant. It’s also used as a dessicant on Roundup Ready sugar beets, canola, and cottonseed for oils, among others.” That same article also reminds us that “Glyphosate is systemic in plants, so it cannot be washed off. If it’s used on a crop, it will be in the food produced from it. All the soy, sugar, cotton, and corn that ends up in packaged foods is carrying glyphosate into our bodies.”
The manufacturer of Roundup, Monsanto, recommends its use on wheat crops to reduce weeds and provides detailed guidelines on when and how to apply it. Page 32 of the guide has a chart for application of Roundup to crops, including wheat. Although Monsanto says that Roundup is not a “dessicant,” it does give instructions on how to gain “significant harvest management benefits” from the use of it.
This is the page (36) from Monsanto’s guidelines that defines the benefits of using Roundup on wheat as a harvest management technique: [source] (click on the picture for a larger image)
You can do your own Google search and find much more information about using Roundup on wheat crops, but my research supports the claim that Roundup (glyphosate) is commonly used on wheat crops and not just on GMO Roundup Ready crops and that there is evidence that it adversely affects our digestive system.
I see two ways we can avoid glyphosate in wheat–eat only organic wheat and/or know the farmer (and his farming practices) that supplies your wheat.
Update May 17, 2015: I found this very interesting map depicting the distribution of glyphosate use in the US. Although it is not limited to wheat, the map does indicate where glyphosate is heavily used. [source: Source: USGS, Pesticide National Synthesis Project]
Update, June 15, 2015: Glyphosate use is not limited to wheat, it is also used on oats and other grains pre-harvest to kill weeds. Glyphosate (Monsanto’s Roundup) is Applied to Oats, Not Just Wheat!
You might also want to read these related posts. Also, read the comments for additional information about glyphosate:
Glyphosate is already in our food, air, and water: What is it and why should we care?
Are We Sacrificing Our Children to Profits From Glyphosate (Roundup) and Roundup-Ready GE Crops?
Study finds significant new evidence that GMOs can cause harm
What Does Genetically Engineered (or GMO) Mean?
34 Responses to Is Glyphosate (Monsanto’s Roundup) Used On Wheat?
- John rantschler says:
I dove into this conversation too… same responses.. I have seen all the references you mention.. one states “facts” from USDA but I cannot find a primary source.. also the Monsanto guide is for canada which doesnt show the legality of use in the US.. if you find any better sources let me know, thanks.
Thanks for your comment. I have also attempted to find additional sources of information and have not found better ones than the Samsel and Seneff study I have already linked.
None of us can be an expert on every subject, and I am certainly not on this one, but I have chosen to accept the evidence presented in this study. I have heard Dr. Seneff talk on the subject of glyphosate and find her dedication to research to be compelling. Her study with Dr. Samsel presents numerous charts and also names the person who collected and analyzed the government data on the use of glyphosate on wheat in the U.S. Since it would be very difficult for me to duplicate their research, I choose, as we all have to do sometimes, to rely and trust the results of this study. This does not mean that I automatically trust and rely on every study that is published. As far as I can learn Dr. Seneff has no conflict of interest that would distort her research into glyphosate and its effects on health.
I appreciate your calling my attention to the Monsanto guidelines being from Canada. I could not find similar Monsanto published guidelines for the U.S.; however, I did find many more references to the use of glyphosate/Roundup for preharvest management of conventional wheat crops in the U.S. There were also implications that the U.S. had fewer regulations on the use of pesticides than Canada, but I could not verify that.
I also found that the U.S. allows some glyphosate residues even on organic crops, and that those residues have been found on organic grains, especially barley. Buying organic may not prevent exposure to this herbicide. [source]
If I find additional information on this issue, I will update the post.
- Charla says:
Monsanto outlines using Roundup as a pre-harvest treatment in their publication Preharvest Staging Guide. Wheat is referenced on page 6. http://roundup.ca/_uploads/documents/MON-Preharvest%20Staging%20Guide.pdf
Monsanto does encourage the use of Roundup (glyphosate) as a pre-harvest treatment in the Canadian guide that you referenced. (I included one chart from that guide, and a link to it, in my post above.) Apparently Roundup was approved for this use first in Canada and later in the US. The pre-harvest treatment of wheat with glyphosate is also included in several agricultural extension service online sites.
- Charla says:
ABSOLUTELY, Carolyn. As you note, there are many references by mainstream agricultural agencies and organizations acknowledging this pre-harvest use of Roundup (glyphosate). For farmers and ag industry people to deny this and call your report ‘bogus’ is irresponsible or purposely misleading. Certainly not all wheat farmers use this practice, but there must be some significant number that Monsanto markets to that do.
Troya Huggard says:
Thank you for digging into this I watched an interview with dr. seneff and had many questions and I also can across the article from huff. Post truth about toxic wheat. Coming across your comments has helped a lot.
Pete says:
I’m a farmer and grow wheat. I have never done this and know of no other farmers doing this practice either.
Thank you for your comment. I sincerely hope you are correct and that the use of glyphosate on wheat is not as widespread as being reported by the USDA.
Mel Gimbel says:
I can say for a fact it is being done in NE Colorado. I witnessed it in two center-pivot wheat fields bordering the South Platte river five or six miles from my own farm. The smell of Roundup was absolutely overwhelming. I at first thought there must have been a large spill. About two weeks later they harvested the wheat and it seemed like they were about a week or two ahead of the other wheat farmers who didn’t spray. This year was the first time I ever saw this around here, although I’d guess it’s been going on in places for some time.
Thanks for telling us about your experience with Roundup/glyphosate. It’s sad that we are poisoning some of the richest farm land in the world.
Rebecca Corrin says:
On page three of my Google search, I found references to using Roundup on wheat: University of MN (2009) and University of Illinois (1998). This info supports that it is not a new practice. Also, it is endorsed by land grant institutions, which makes me think the practice is mainstream.
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/efans/cropnews/2009/08/preharvest_management_options_for_wheat.html
http://bulletin.ipm.illinois.edu/pastpest/articles/v9812e.html
Yes, I found those links also and agree that this is probably a mainstream practice, at least on large wheat farms. Maybe it is not necessary on smaller farms. I suspect that most processed and packaged foods that contain wheat are contaminated with glyphosate unless they are organic, and even some organic wheat may contain traces of glyphosate, although less than the non-organic wheat.
Kathleen says:
Here are a couple of links to articles that have a different point of view.
http://kswheat.com/the-truth-about-roundup-and-wheat-support-material
http://kswheat.com/news/2014/11/18/the-truth-about-herbicides-in-wheat
We have farmed wheat for 30+ years in the Kansas bread basket and I can assure you this is not a common practice here.
Hope these articles and the links in them give you some other options for your research.
Have a great day!
Thank you for your comment and the links you provided. I am glad to learn that you do not use glyphosate on your wheat crops and that many other wheat farmers also do not. Further research does seem to indicate that glyphosate is used for harvest management of wheat primarily in far northern states, such as Montana, and in Canada, where the growing season is shorter.
One problem we have as consumers is that we usually have no way of knowing where the wheat in our bread is grown. Was the wheat grown in a far northern state where glyphosate is used or in a more southern state where it’s unlikely to be used? Until we have better insight into the source of our food, especially better labeling, buying organic is probably our best option, although glyphosate contamination has been detected even in organic wheat, probably from pesticide drift.
It seems to me that the very significant correlation between use of glyphosate and the incidence of many diseases (see my post on the subject) warrants further study into its safety rather than increased use on any crop.
- Charla says:
Carolyn, Kathleen did not say that her farm does not use Roundup on the land wheat is to be planted on. She said they do not use it in this way as a pre-harvest application to kill the crop so it dries more evenly and harvests easier.
Although Kathleen did not exclude the use of glyphosate on the wheat on her farm for purposes other than pre-harvest manaagement, it is probably unlikely that she would apply it to wheat except just before harvest. Conventional wheat is not yet engineered to be glyphosate resistant (Roundup Ready) and would be killed or severely damaged by application before time for harvest.
- Charla says:
No, wheat is not a GMO crop, however, most farmers who use glyphosate with non-GMO crops apply it prior to planting to kill all weeds growing on the land.
Michelle says:
Articles published by NIH, via PubMed are peer reviewed and thus the science is more proven and reliable. Here’s a great study on it here http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3945755/
Here’s another one from 2005, where Roundup’s glyphosate with it’s inactive ingredients were found to be as least twice as toxic as glyphosate alone.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1257636/
…from 2005…
This is not on NIH, however does link to NIH published studies http://www.globalresearch.ca/monsanto-roundup-the-impacts-of-glyphosate-herbicide-on-human-health-pathways-to-modern-diseases/5342520
Additionally, another good web search is “glyphosate and Shikimate pathway”
A great NIH published study on that as well. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC440734/
But, hey, those worried about the next quarter profit, the government has you covered… House Passes A Bill That Restricts Scientists From Advising The EPA
http://io9.com/house-passes-a-bill-that-restricts-scientists-from-adv-1661140635
Honestly, in a country full over people struggling to lose weight and garbage cans full of discarded food…surrounded by nations struggling to eat once a day… it’s absolutely disgusting to squeeze a few more seeds of wheat, or beans, or fruit, by exposing the consumers to toxic chemicals that are slowly poisoning us.
It’s illogical. And plain stupid. History would have to describe this era in a way that’s simply embarrassing to all of us alive today.
Keep bringing us the good stuff. Thank you!
Thanks for the comment and the links. Those are good articles. I think we are being very short-sighted to contaminate our land, water, and air with glyphosate and other chemicals in order to increase profits.
You might be interested in reading my later post about a new study that found a significant correlation between glyphosate use and the incidence of many chronic diseases. The researchers for that study provided some of the data that Seneff and Samsel used in their study.
Clifford Reinke says:
Carolyn,
I’ve noticed that every farmer who has replied to you has said they do not do this, nor do they know anybody who does. As I rent out wheatland in Oregon, I checked, and our land also does not support this practice.
Your response always seems to be you have faith in the author and styill believe it is a wide scale practice.
I guess my question to you is have you personally heard from ANY farmer in the US that uses this practice? If not, why the faith and why not take the time to find a farmer who actually does this.
I’m glad to know that your farm does not use glyphosate on wheat, and no, I have not personally heard from any farmer that uses glyphosate on wheat and do not expect to, for several reasons.
One, it should be apparent to my readers that I don’t approve of the use of glyphosate on any crop including wheat.
Two, it is unlikely that any farmer on a farm large enough to be using glyphosate on wheat would be reading my blog.
However, my acceptance of the data is not based on blind faith, and, although I am skeptical of the validity of many government mandates, I haven’t yet learned of a reason to suspect that government data on the use of pesticides in the US have been falsified. The data in this study about the use of glyphosate come from government sources: USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), NASS (National Agricultural Statistics Service), and CDC (Centers for Disease Control). If you have information that indicates these government data are incorrect, I would appreciate knowing about it.
The statistics that concern you are probably skewed heavily in favor of the very large mono-cropping farms which are much more likely to be using glyphosate. As I said in answer to an earlier comment, if we could always know where the wheat in our food came from we might be able to more safely use some conventionally grown wheat; however, since we don’t, and usually cannot, know, the best way to avoid glyphosate is to buy organic foods. In the ideal situation, we would know personally the farm and the farming methods used, but that is not always possible.
Carolyn Jebaily says:
Thank you for your reply and the observation about what Farmers are actually doing in practice. I am a bread baker and have often used wheat grown from local farmers in our state of South Carolina. After seeing Seneff’s research article, I interviewed farmers who grow wheat here and they also confirmed that none of them use the practice of applying glyphosate to wheat at any time during growth or harvest. I too noted that Farmers writing in said they did not know of other farmers using this practice. Most agreed it would simply be a waste of money and increase the cost of wheat. I think it would be wise to do more interviews with wheat farmers before concluding that it’s a widespread practice in the US.
As I have said earlier, I am glad to learn that many small farmers, maybe even most, do not use glyphosate on their wheat, especially those in the lower states. The research seems to indicate that the primary users of glyphosate are larger farms in the northern states and Canada where the growing season may be shorter.
The charts showing the amount of glyphosate used on wheat in the US are not based on interviews with farmers but on government data. Do you have information that these data are incorrect?
- Charla says:
Apparently OATS have been treated with glyphosate– (Roundup (R) before harvest more than wheat, from what we are hearing from US farmers. Grain Millers, a major oat buyer in Western Canada, will no longer purchase oats if the crop has been desiccated with glyphosate.
In an April 20, 2015 memo to Canadian Prairie oat growers, Grain Millers said the new policy was “driven by functional performance attributes of finished products manufactured from oats known to have been treated with glyphosate ( they crumble) and by customer demand.”
http://www.producer.com/2015/04/oat-buyer-says-no-glyphosate-pre-harvest/
Thanks for the information about glyphosate use on oats. When organic supplier Tropical Traditions tested their organic grains they found traces of glyphosate on wheat and other organic grains including barley, oats, spelt, and einkorn. That traces can even be found on organic grains seems to indicate that the process of applying glyphosate to grains is widespread.
Richard says:
If you Google “wheat desiccation roundup” the very first article you’ll see listed is the Snopes debunking of the paper referenced and the supposed practices you’re talking about…pseudoscience does NOT serve the ends you’re working toward, which I believe to genuinely be a healthier world/diet — in fact, the more pseudoscience is trotted out in service of this end, the less credible your entire undertaking becomes.
Thanks for your comment. I read the Snopes report; however, it did not provide any evidence that the government data were incorrect in the amount of glyphosate being used on wheat in the US. Instead, the report presented many anecdotal reports from farmers who said they did not use glyphosate.
The health effects of glyphosate are still being debated, but the studies showing glyphosate to be safe were conducted primarily by the biotech companies wanting to sell the product. Also, most, if not all, of those studies were conducted on glyphosate alone and not on the complete product–Roundup is one brand name–as used on agricultural crops. Apparently glyphosate in combination with its adjuvants is more harmful than glyphosate alone.
Snopes provides an informative service; however, its reports are not always accurate.
Charla says:
Richard, I will repost the link to Monsanto’s document that I posted on Dec. 26, 2014 from the official Roundup website instructing farmers in how to use Roundup for pre-harvest of several food products. Monsanto outlines using Roundup as a pre-harvest treatment in their publication Preharvest Staging Guide. Wheat is referenced on page 6. http://roundup.ca/_uploads/documents/MON-Preharvest%20Staging%20Guide.pdf
dave says:
Why is Snopes being less then upfront about wheat and Monsanto? Because its number one backer George Soros has just made his second largest investment ever. Care to guess where? That is right Monsanto. He is doing this in an effort to gain control of wheat production. Best way to over throw an economy and a government is not by guns but by food markets. George your on the wrong side of the issue here. Get on the right side and do it now or do not expect credibility in the future with environmentalist. You know how badly you need us as your foot soldiers.
I could not find out who invests in Snopes since they are a privately held company; however, I did find support for George Soros’ heavy investment in Monsanto.
The Wall Street Journal, in an article dated November 16, 2010, says
The value of billionaire investor George Soros’ hedge fund increased by 31.6% to $6.7 billion at the end of the third quarter compared with the previous quarter, as he boosted his stake in blue-chip stocks AT&T Inc. and Monsanto, according to a regulatory filing late Monday.
. . .
Soros also purchased 897,813 shares of Monsanto–his second-largest holding on a dollar basis–during the quarter. The position is now valued at $312.6 million.
A November 15, 2013, article on Gurufocus says that Soros purchased additional Monsanto stock: “476,170 shares of Monsanto Company (MON), representing 0.54% of his portfolio.”
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Arthur Tesla says:
Is Roundup used as a pre-emerge herbicide in wheat fields?
Although it seems that glyphosate is not used as often as other per-emergent herbicides on wheat, I did find some indication that it is used for that purpose, especially in Europe and maybe Canada.
For more information:
Weed Control in Small Grains , pp. 6-8
Long-Term Glyphosate Use on Wheat
Post-harvest pre-planting applications of glyphosate