By Julie Tomascik
Editor

A new report examines a future without glyphosate, and the immediate impact would be costly to the economy, farmers and the environment.

Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is a widely-used herbicide and important tool farmers and ranchers depend on to control weeds.

Findings from the Aimpoint Research report showed that U.S. farmers would bear the burden of increased input and operating costs without the use of glyphosate, and small famers would be disproportionately affected.

It would also have unintended consequences like an increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

“The loss of glyphosate would not be trivial,” the report said.

Ultimately, farmers and ranchers would adapt without glyphosate, but it would have a costly and far-reaching impact.

“While markets would adapt to a world without glyphosate, it would be a substantial economic cost to farmers and cause the rapid release of greenhouse gasses, reversing decades of conservation and sustainability gains,” said Gregg Doud, Aimpoint Research chief economist. “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.”

The use of alternatives would represent increased costs of nearly 2-2.5 times per acre, and switching to tillage could increase production costs by $1.9 billion.

The use of glyphosate has enabled farmers to implement conservation practices like no-till, minimum tillage and cover crops, all of which reduce fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions.

“More alternatives would eventually be available over time but would take several years and significant investment—investment that would likely be slowed by regulatory uncertainty and a vacuum in crop protection innovation,” the report said.

Increased production costs would also add to inflationary pressures and raise food prices for consumers.

Glyphosate is used on an average of 87% of corn, soybean and cotton acres. It was first registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1974, but there have been a challenges in the U.S. courts and ongoing public debate about the chemical.

The EPA is expected to finish its registration review on the herbicide by 2026.

“We look for every opportunity to illustrate the importance of this tool across our agriculture system. This report adds powerful additional data and insights to support that conclusion,” a Bayer spokesperson told Agri-Pulse.

The study, “A Future Without Glyphosate,” was commissioned by Bayer and published in July.