Re: [Biofuel] Herbicide-resistant weed worries farmers
>Hi Kirk and all, > >I much prefer hot water to herbicides but why not just pull them and >compost them. It still looks like it´s tied to fossil fuel. > >Tom Irwin http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/msg13786.html [biofuel] Fwd: Spray Weeds With Vinegar? http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/msg62235.html Re: [Biofuel] FFA's as Weed Killer Best Keith >From: Kirk McLoren <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Reply-To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org >To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org >Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Herbicide-resistant weed worries farmers >Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2006 14:26:08 -0800 (PST) > > > > > > > >"US Town Uses Hot Water -- Not Herbicides -- To Control Weeds" > > >Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) > > > > >Carrboro, North Carolina, is killing weeds with water instead of >chemicals. The town is using a machine that superheats water and >dispenses it in a carefully controlled stream to kill weeds without >using toxic chemical herbicides. The equipment, which is made in New >Zealand, is in use in several other countries but is almost unknown >in the United States. >Carrboro is testing the equipment to implement the town's least >toxic Integrated Pest Management policy, adopted in March 1999. The >policy calls for phasing out use of conventional pesticides, >including herbicides, on town property, but does not apply to the >local residents, their property or businesses. City >leaders hope to show how beautiful grounds can be achieved without >poisoning the environment. >To date, efforts to reduce pesticide use have emphasized >alternatives to conventional herbicides. An earlier analysis of >Carrboro's pest management practices showed that more pesticides >were used on weeds than for any other purpose. Weeds are a problem >around buildings and parking lots, along curbs and gutters and in >parks. The town is using a comprehensive approach, rather seeking a >single solution, including a biodegradable herbicide made from corn >gluten, propane flamers which kill plants by singing them, thick >mulch on plant beds to smother weeds, and now hot water. >The machine in use in Carrboro produces a steady stream of near- >boiling water that kills weeds by melting the waxy outer coating of >their leaves. The self-contained machine is mounted on a small truck >with hoses connected to long-handled applicator wands. A quick spray >on unwanted weeds kills them; >the plants darken almost immediately and turn brown within a few >hours. The flow of water is low and cools quickly. While the results >look very much like that of a contact herbicide, there is no toxic >residue and the area is immediately safe for play. >"That's what it is all about," said Allen Spalt, Director of the >Agricultural Resources Center and a member of the Carrboro Board of >Aldermen. "We want to find ways to reduce pesticide use so that we >can eliminate the risk of any child being poisoned. Carrboro already >uses only small amounts of pesticides; we believe that this hot >water system may be part of the solution to reducing use >completely." >The hot water system, on loan to Carrboro until the end of June, >will be used by town staff, who will also demonstrate it for other >interested parties. At the conclusion of the trials, a final >decision will be made whether or not the town will purchase the >equipment. ><http://www.ghorganics.com/HotWeedKiller.htm>http://www.ghorganics.co >m/HotWeedKiller.htm ><http://metalab.unc.edu/arc>http://metalab.unc.edu/arc Pesticide >Action Network North America (PANNA) ~ ><http://www.panna.org/>http://www.panna.org/ > ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] Herbicide-resistant weed worries farmers
Hi Kirk and all, I much prefer hot water to herbicides but why not just pull them and compost them. It still looks like it´s tied to fossil fuel. Tom Irwin From: Kirk McLoren <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>Reply-To: biofuel@sustainablelists.orgTo: biofuel@sustainablelists.orgSubject: Re: [Biofuel] Herbicide-resistant weed worries farmersDate: Thu, 21 Dec 2006 14:26:08 -0800 (PST) "US Town Uses Hot Water -- Not Herbicides -- To Control Weeds" Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) Carrboro, North Carolina, is killing weeds with water instead of chemicals. The town is using a machine that superheats water and dispenses it in a carefully controlled stream to kill weeds without using toxic chemical herbicides. The equipment, which is made in New Zealand, is in use in several other countries but is almost unknown in the United States. Carrboro is testing the equipment to implement the town's least toxic Integrated Pest Management policy, adopted in March 1999. The policy calls for phasing out use of conventional pesticides, including herbicides, on town property, but does not apply to the local residents, their property or businesses. City leaders hope to show how beautiful grounds can be achieved without poisoning the environment. To date, efforts to reduce pesticide use have emphasized alternatives to conventional herbicides. An earlier analysis of Carrboro's pest management practices showed that more pesticides were used on weeds than for any other purpose. Weeds are a problem around buildings and parking lots, along curbs and gutters and in parks. The town is using a comprehensive approach, rather seeking a single solution, including a biodegradable herbicide made from corn gluten, propane flamers which kill plants by singing them, thick mulch on plant beds to smother weeds, and now hot water. The machine in use in Carrboro produces a steady stream of near- boiling water that kills weeds by melting the waxy outer coating of their leaves. The self-contained machine is mounted on a small truck with hoses connected to long-handled applicator wands. A quick spray on unwanted weeds kills them; the plants darken almost immediately and turn brown within a few hours. The flow of water is low and cools quickly. While the results look very much like that of a contact herbicide, there is no toxic residue and the area is immediately safe for play. "That's what it is all about," said Allen Spalt, Director of the Agricultural Resources Center and a member of the Carrboro Board of Aldermen. "We want to find ways to reduce pesticide use so that we can eliminate the risk of any child being poisoned. Carrboro already uses only small amounts of pesticides; we believe that this hot water system may be part of the solution to reducing use completely." The hot water system, on loan to Carrboro until the end of June, will be used by town staff, who will also demonstrate it for other interested parties. At the conclusion of the trials, a final decision will be made whether or not the town will purchase the equipment. http://www.ghorganics.com/HotWeedKiller.htm http://metalab.unc.edu/arc Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) ~ http://www.panna.org/ __Do You Yahoo!?Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com >___>Biofuel mailing list>Biofuel@sustainablelists.org>http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org>>Biofuel at Journey to Forever:>http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html>>Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages):>http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/> FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar MSN Toolbar Get it now! ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] Herbicide-resistant weed worries farmers
"US Town Uses Hot Water -- Not Herbicides -- To Control Weeds" Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) Carrboro, North Carolina, is killing weeds with water instead of chemicals. The town is using a machine that superheats water and dispenses it in a carefully controlled stream to kill weeds without using toxic chemical herbicides. The equipment, which is made in New Zealand, is in use in several other countries but is almost unknown in the United States. Carrboro is testing the equipment to implement the town's least toxic Integrated Pest Management policy, adopted in March 1999. The policy calls for phasing out use of conventional pesticides, including herbicides, on town property, but does not apply to the local residents, their property or businesses. City leaders hope to show how beautiful grounds can be achieved without poisoning the environment. To date, efforts to reduce pesticide use have emphasized alternatives to conventional herbicides. An earlier analysis of Carrboro's pest management practices showed that more pesticides were used on weeds than for any other purpose. Weeds are a problem around buildings and parking lots, along curbs and gutters and in parks. The town is using a comprehensive approach, rather seeking a single solution, including a biodegradable herbicide made from corn gluten, propane flamers which kill plants by singing them, thick mulch on plant beds to smother weeds, and now hot water. The machine in use in Carrboro produces a steady stream of near- boiling water that kills weeds by melting the waxy outer coating of their leaves. The self-contained machine is mounted on a small truck with hoses connected to long-handled applicator wands. A quick spray on unwanted weeds kills them; the plants darken almost immediately and turn brown within a few hours. The flow of water is low and cools quickly. While the results look very much like that of a contact herbicide, there is no toxic residue and the area is immediately safe for play. "That's what it is all about," said Allen Spalt, Director of the Agricultural Resources Center and a member of the Carrboro Board of Aldermen. "We want to find ways to reduce pesticide use so that we can eliminate the risk of any child being poisoned. Carrboro already uses only small amounts of pesticides; we believe that this hot water system may be part of the solution to reducing use completely." The hot water system, on loan to Carrboro until the end of June, will be used by town staff, who will also demonstrate it for other interested parties. At the conclusion of the trials, a final decision will be made whether or not the town will purchase the equipment. http://www.ghorganics.com/HotWeedKiller.htm http://metalab.unc.edu/arc Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) ~ http://www.panna.org/ __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] Herbicide-resistant weed worries farmers - and another one...
Hi Luke ; Agreed on all points. It's not a "Superweed", it's a Super "Weed" ;-))). I also don't smoke. BR Peter G. Thailand --- Luke Hansen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Ya'll will have to forgive my adolescent joy in > saying this, but THAT'S AWESOME! Hemp yields far > more usable fibre than cotton does...folks should > get with the times...of course, hemp and pot are a > little different...but hell...I'm all for legalizing > ALL drugs, not just the ones that the pharmacutical > industry can lobby into legality :) > > (And no, I don't smoke pot...) > __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] Herbicide-resistant weed worries farmers - and another one...
Ya'll will have to forgive my adolescent joy in saying this, but THAT'S AWESOME! Hemp yields far more usable fibre than cotton does...folks should get with the times...of course, hemp and pot are a little different...but hell...I'm all for legalizing ALL drugs, not just the ones that the pharmacutical industry can lobby into legality :) (And no, I don't smoke pot...) Guag Meister <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Hi All ; Another "SuperWeed" from Yahoo homepage today. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061221/ap_on_sc/mexico_drugs Hybrid marijuana plant found in Mexico By MARK STEVENSON, Associated Press Writer Wed Dec 20, 8:29 PM ET LAZARO CARDENAS, Mexico - Soldiers trying to seize control of one Mexico's top drug-producing regions found the countryside teeming with a new hybrid marijuana plant that can be cultivated year-round and cannot be killed with herbicides. PUBLICIDAD Soldiers fanned out across some of the new fields Tuesday, pulling up plants by the root and burning them, as helicopter gunships clattered overhead to give them cover from a raging drug war in the western state of Michoacan. The plants' roots survive if they are doused with herbicide, said army Gen. Manuel Garcia. "These plants have been genetically improved," he told a handful of journalists allowed to accompany soldiers on a daylong raid of some 70 marijuana fields. "Before we could cut the plant and destroy it, but this plant will come back to life unless it's taken out by the roots." The new plants, known as "Colombians," mature in about two months and can be planted at any time of year, meaning authorities will no longer be able to time raids to coincide with twice-yearly harvests. The hybrid first appeared in Mexico two years ago but has become the plant of choice for drug traffickers Michoacan, a remote mountainous region that lends to itself to drug production. Yields are so high that traffickers can now produce as much marijuana on a plot the size of a football field as they used to harvest in 10 to 12 acres. That makes for smaller, harder-to-detect fields, though some discovered Tuesday had sophisticated irrigation systems with sprinklers, pumps and thousands of yards of tubing. "For each 100 (marijuana plots) that you spot from the air, there are 300 to 500 more that you discover once you get on the ground," Garcia said. The raids were part of President Felipe Calderon's new offensive to restore order in his home state of Michoacan and fight drug violence that has claimed more than 2,000 lives in Mexico this year. In Michoacan, officials say the Valencia and Gulf cartels have been battling over lucrative marijuana plantations and smuggling routes for cocaine and methamphetamine to the United States. In one incident, gunmen stormed into a bar and dumped five human heads on the dance floor. The president, who took office Dec. 1, sent 7,000 soldiers and federal officers to Michoacan last week. Officials have arrested 45 people, including several suspected leaders of the feuding cartels. They also seized three yachts, 2.2 pounds of gold, bulletproof vests, military equipment and shirts with federal and municipal police logos. More than 18,000 people have been searched, along with 8,000 vehicles and numerous foreign and national boats. "We are determined to shut down delinquency and stop crime in Mexico because it is endangering the lives of all Mexicans, of our families," Calderon said, calling the operation a "success" so far. In the past week, soldiers and federal police have found 1,795 marijuana fields covering 585 acres in Michoacan, security officials said. Officials estimate the raids could cost the cartels up to $626 million, counting the value of plants that have been destroyed and drugs that could have been produced with seized opium poppies and marijuana seeds. On Sunday, federal authorities announced the capture of suspected drug lord Elias Valencia, the most significant arrest since the operation began. Calderon's predecessor,Vicente Fox, started out with enthusiastic U.S. applause for his own fight against drug trafficking. U.S. officials called the arrest of drug bosses early in his six-year term unprecedented, while Fox boasted that his administration had destroyed 43,900 acres of marijuana and poppy plantations in its first six months and more than tripled drug seizures. Yet drug violence has spiked across the country in recent years, with gangs fighting over control of routes following the arrest of drug lords, authorities say. Mexico has also continued to struggle with corruption among its law enforcement ranks. Garcia said authorities did not tell soldiers where they were being sent on raids and banned the use of cell phones and radios. Best Regards, Peter G. Thailand __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ___ Bi
Re: [Biofuel] Herbicide-resistant weed worries farmers
Hi Peter >Hi Keith ; > > > So we just can't farm without Monsanto, right. > >Sensible question. Unfortunately the article does not >propose reducing the use of herbicides but only >increasing their use. As usual. GMOs increase herbicide use anyway, even without superweeds to contend with, as intended I guess, contrary to the promises they'd reduce its use. Or at least Monsanto's "Roundup Ready" (glypohosate) GMOs do. All their promises have brought the opposite realities. >Don't they understand that it >is only a matter of time before another weed becomes >resistant to the new cocktail and even worse than the >first? Seems not, and that's been going on much longer than just with GMOs, right from the start of chemicalised agriculture. Let alone that fighting weeds is a waste of time anyway, it's just the wrong approach. >Where does it end? The logical conclusion is the >creation of wide variety of superweeds which will >create havoc for all farmers. Don't they see this >coming??? Apparently not. I suppose they'll make a GMO a fix for it, upon which "all farmers" will then become dependent, to the greater glory of Monsanto's bottom line, and the new "solution" will have similarly havoc-causing runaway "unforeseeable side-effects", so they'll make a GMO fix for it... The idea that you have to fight weeds seems to be as endemic as the weeds are. Rodale's "New Farm Newsletter" of December 15, 2006 has this yarn: http://www.newfarm.org/international/features/2006/1206/witchweed/vanm ourik.shtml Kaata is making our millet plants wilt - Scientists and West African farmers learn together how to manage a devastating weed - and how to integrate agricultural science into a treacherous farming environment. It's striga, witchweed. "De-mystifying the witchweed mystery" says one headline. Seems the good folks at Rodale's haven't read their Albert Howard, nor those at Wageningen University. More re which here: http://journeytoforever.org/farm_pest.html#striga Controlling weeds and pests: striga It says "Striga thrives under conditions of low soil fertility and decreasing plant diversity." (ECHO Development Notes, Issue 59, February 1998) Er, maybe it's trying to tell us something? > > How is your patch of forest getting along, Peter? > >Lots of things are doing really well, thanks. But it >is a big project for me. I'm pretty tired. :-) I can say just the same for my patch, and me. >Anyone interested in my energy farm project can see >progress pics at : > >www.cresard.com/pr01 > >The plan for this year is (budget permitting) : > >1) Biogas from pig s**t. >2) Set up the ethanol still. >3) Get the wind turbine working. >4) 10K more teak seeds arriving Friday. >5) More of pigs, cattle, chickens, rabbits. >6) Plant about 10K oil palms this rainy season. >7) Dry season farming. >8) Breadfruit (for ethanol) and diesel tree (for >diesel). Good stuff Peter, strength to your arm Have you thought of using Muscovy ducks? http://journeytoforever.org/farm_poultry.html#muscovy We're using chickens,. Muscovies and geese, doing this: http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/msg62619.html Re: [Biofuel] More Gardening News - micro ley farming Keith Addison Fri, 12 May 2006 It's advanced a lot since then. Main reason I've been so scarce around here, and such a really lousy correspondent. :-( I didn't manage to reply to Pannirselvam's message about sustainable farming because I was too busy doing it, nor to Robert's and others' messages on Closing the garden. Oh well. All best Keith the sporadic > > Best > >And Best to you Keith. > >Peter G. >Thailand (and Cambodia) ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] Herbicide-resistant weed worries farmers - and another one...
Hi All ; Another "SuperWeed" from Yahoo homepage today. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061221/ap_on_sc/mexico_drugs Hybrid marijuana plant found in Mexico By MARK STEVENSON, Associated Press Writer Wed Dec 20, 8:29 PM ET LAZARO CARDENAS, Mexico - Soldiers trying to seize control of one Mexico's top drug-producing regions found the countryside teeming with a new hybrid marijuana plant that can be cultivated year-round and cannot be killed with herbicides. PUBLICIDAD Soldiers fanned out across some of the new fields Tuesday, pulling up plants by the root and burning them, as helicopter gunships clattered overhead to give them cover from a raging drug war in the western state of Michoacan. The plants' roots survive if they are doused with herbicide, said army Gen. Manuel Garcia. "These plants have been genetically improved," he told a handful of journalists allowed to accompany soldiers on a daylong raid of some 70 marijuana fields. "Before we could cut the plant and destroy it, but this plant will come back to life unless it's taken out by the roots." The new plants, known as "Colombians," mature in about two months and can be planted at any time of year, meaning authorities will no longer be able to time raids to coincide with twice-yearly harvests. The hybrid first appeared in Mexico two years ago but has become the plant of choice for drug traffickers Michoacan, a remote mountainous region that lends to itself to drug production. Yields are so high that traffickers can now produce as much marijuana on a plot the size of a football field as they used to harvest in 10 to 12 acres. That makes for smaller, harder-to-detect fields, though some discovered Tuesday had sophisticated irrigation systems with sprinklers, pumps and thousands of yards of tubing. "For each 100 (marijuana plots) that you spot from the air, there are 300 to 500 more that you discover once you get on the ground," Garcia said. The raids were part of President Felipe Calderon's new offensive to restore order in his home state of Michoacan and fight drug violence that has claimed more than 2,000 lives in Mexico this year. In Michoacan, officials say the Valencia and Gulf cartels have been battling over lucrative marijuana plantations and smuggling routes for cocaine and methamphetamine to the United States. In one incident, gunmen stormed into a bar and dumped five human heads on the dance floor. The president, who took office Dec. 1, sent 7,000 soldiers and federal officers to Michoacan last week. Officials have arrested 45 people, including several suspected leaders of the feuding cartels. They also seized three yachts, 2.2 pounds of gold, bulletproof vests, military equipment and shirts with federal and municipal police logos. More than 18,000 people have been searched, along with 8,000 vehicles and numerous foreign and national boats. "We are determined to shut down delinquency and stop crime in Mexico because it is endangering the lives of all Mexicans, of our families," Calderon said, calling the operation a "success" so far. In the past week, soldiers and federal police have found 1,795 marijuana fields covering 585 acres in Michoacan, security officials said. Officials estimate the raids could cost the cartels up to $626 million, counting the value of plants that have been destroyed and drugs that could have been produced with seized opium poppies and marijuana seeds. On Sunday, federal authorities announced the capture of suspected drug lord Elias Valencia, the most significant arrest since the operation began. Calderon's predecessor,Vicente Fox, started out with enthusiastic U.S. applause for his own fight against drug trafficking. U.S. officials called the arrest of drug bosses early in his six-year term unprecedented, while Fox boasted that his administration had destroyed 43,900 acres of marijuana and poppy plantations in its first six months and more than tripled drug seizures. Yet drug violence has spiked across the country in recent years, with gangs fighting over control of routes following the arrest of drug lords, authorities say. Mexico has also continued to struggle with corruption among its law enforcement ranks. Garcia said authorities did not tell soldiers where they were being sent on raids and banned the use of cell phones and radios. Best Regards, Peter G. Thailand __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] Herbicide-resistant weed worries farmers
Hi Frank ; --- Frank Navarrete <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Is the berry and seed the source of palm > oil? Do you just crush > them to extract the oil? I guess all palm fruits and seeds contain some oil. Oil palm is the preferred palm because it produces lots of fruit bunches and the oil percentage is quite high (25%). Oil palm fruit is cooked for a short time to soften it, then pressed, the oil floats to the top of the liquid. The seed also contains oil but is difficult to crack and extract. Larger mills will do this, smaller ones will not. Do a test with your fruits and see how much oil you get. Lots of resources on the net. You might try to identify the palm, and the information you seek may be on the net somewhere. BR Peter G. Thailand __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] Herbicide-resistant weed worries farmers
Peter, I live in an area where there is an abundance of palm berries going to waste. Is the berry and seed the source of palm oil? Do you just crush them to extract the oil? Thanks, Frank Navarrete On 12/20/06, Guag Meister <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Hi Keith ; > So we just can't farm without Monsanto, right. Sensible question. Unfortunately the article does not propose reducing the use of herbicides but only increasing their use. Don't they understand that it is only a matter of time before another weed becomes resistant to the new cocktail and even worse than the first? Where does it end? The logical conclusion is the creation of wide variety of superweeds which will create havoc for all farmers. Don't they see this coming??? Apparently not. > How is your patch of forest getting along, Peter? Lots of things are doing really well, thanks. But it is a big project for me. I'm pretty tired. Anyone interested in my energy farm project can see progress pics at : www.cresard.com/pr01 The plan for this year is (budget permitting) : 1) Biogas from pig s**t. 2) Set up the ethanol still. 3) Get the wind turbine working. 4) 10K more teak seeds arriving Friday. 5) More of pigs, cattle, chickens, rabbits. 6) Plant about 10K oil palms this rainy season. 7) Dry season farming. 8) Breadfruit (for ethanol) and diesel tree (for diesel). > Best And Best to you Keith. Peter G. Thailand (and Cambodia) __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] Herbicide-resistant weed worries farmers
Hi Keith ; > So we just can't farm without Monsanto, right. Sensible question. Unfortunately the article does not propose reducing the use of herbicides but only increasing their use. Don't they understand that it is only a matter of time before another weed becomes resistant to the new cocktail and even worse than the first? Where does it end? The logical conclusion is the creation of wide variety of superweeds which will create havoc for all farmers. Don't they see this coming??? Apparently not. > How is your patch of forest getting along, Peter? Lots of things are doing really well, thanks. But it is a big project for me. I'm pretty tired. Anyone interested in my energy farm project can see progress pics at : www.cresard.com/pr01 The plan for this year is (budget permitting) : 1) Biogas from pig s**t. 2) Set up the ethanol still. 3) Get the wind turbine working. 4) 10K more teak seeds arriving Friday. 5) More of pigs, cattle, chickens, rabbits. 6) Plant about 10K oil palms this rainy season. 7) Dry season farming. 8) Breadfruit (for ethanol) and diesel tree (for diesel). > Best And Best to you Keith. Peter G. Thailand (and Cambodia) __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] Herbicide-resistant weed worries farmers
Hello Peter Aarghh!!! The RoundUp won't work! It's the end of CAWKI! LOL! So we just can't farm without Monsanto, right. How is your patch of forest getting along, Peter? Best Keith >Hi All ; > > >From Yahoo today : > >http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061218/ap_on_sc/monster_weed > >By ELLIOTT MINOR, Associated Press Writer >Mon Dec 18, 4:20 PM ET > >TIFTON, Ga. - The cotton industry is concerned about >the discovery of a herbicide-resistant weed that >spreads easily, can grow an inch a day even during >droughts and could force farmers to return to older >growing methods that were harsher on the environment. > >ADVERTISEMENT > >"It is potentially the worse threat since the boll >weevil," said Alan York, weed scientist at North >Carolina State University in Raleigh, referring to the >voracious beetle that devastated Southern cotton crops >in the early 1900s and forced farmers to switch to >alternatives such as peanuts. > >The boll weevil was eradicated in some states in the >late 1970s and early 1980s, paving the way for the >return of cotton as one of the nation's major crops, >worth $4.7 billion. It is grown in 16 states from >coast to coast. > >The weed that is causing concern is Palmer amaranth, a >type of pig weed that grows 6 to 10 feet tall. >Amaranth that resists the most common herbicide used >in cotton, glyphostate, has been confirmed in 10 of >North Carolina's 100 counties, four of Georgia's 159 >counties and is suspected in Tennessee, South Carolina >and Arkansas, scientists say. > >If someone were trying to design a particularly nasty >weed, Palmer amaranth could be the model, York said. > >"It's an extremely competitive weed," he said. "It's >extremely prolific. It's an efficient ... bad weed." > >In Georgia, where the weed has been confirmed in 48 >fields, amaranth took over some fields and the cotton >had to be cut down, rather than harvested, said >University of Georgia weed scientist Stanley >Culpepper. The weed can damage cotton pickers, the >huge machines that pluck the world's leading natural >fiber from the cotton bolls. > >Glyphostate is sold under several brand names, but the >leading product is Roundup, made by Monsanto. > >The company revolutionized cotton growing in the 1990s >when it introduced BT cotton cotton that was >genetically engineered with its own built-in pest >defenses. Monsanto also introduced Roundup Ready >cotton plants that wouldn't perish with the weeds >when a field was sprayed with a glyphostate herbicide. > >Those two developments enabled cotton growers to >drastically reduce the amount of chemicals used in >their fields and to switch to conservation tillage, >which reduces soil erosion and helps to retain >moisture in the soil. The improved efficiency also >lowered costs for such things as labor, equipment and >fuel. > >"That technology I think is the most valuable >agronomic tool there is and sustaining it is essential >to the viability of the family farm," Culpepper said. > >He said Roundup has been "so good, so economical and >such a benign herbicide, that we became dependent on >it." > >It had everything everyone would need," he said. "But >when you rely too heavily on one technology, >resistance will eventually develop." > >Before Roundup Ready cotton, farmers often had to plow >the field to bury weeds and their seeds and then >protect the crops from pests with heavy chemical >applications. Now many use conservation tillage, which >barely disturbs the soil. > >"If we lost conservation tillage in the Southeast, the >financial and environmental consequences would be >nothing short of catastrophic," said Eddie Green, who >grew 1,750 acres of cotton on a family farm near >Unadilla and suspects he may have some of the >resistant Palmer amaranth. > >He farms in Dooly County, where the resistant weed has >been confirmed. It has also been confirmed in nearby >Macon, Taylor and Lee counties. > >Monsanto, which posted a letter in April alerting >growers to the problem, has worked with the >Memphis-based National Cotton Council to develop an >online course on weed control and is assisting >Culpepper, York and others with the resistance >problem. > >"This is something we do look at very seriously," said >Monsanto representative Michelle Starke. "We want >growers to be successful with our products." > >Monsanto has suggested using Roundup in combination >with other herbicides known to kill the resistant >weed. Culpepper and others also recommend alternative >herbicides. > >"We can for sure say it's going to cost more money," >said York. "You're going to have more herbicides to >try to beat it back. Is it going to put us out of the >cotton business? I hope not, but it's going to make it >more challenging." > >Andy Jordan, the Cotton Council's vice president for >technical services, predicted the threat from >glyphostate-resistant amaranth will spur farmers to >re-examine their weed-management practices. > >"The glyphostate-resistant technology in the cotton >pla
