A survey
of professional farm mangers and rural appraisers find increasing
concerns about weed resistance to herbicides, particularly to glyphosate.
As a result farmers may increasingly find their cropping and weed-control
practices scrutinized when they are looking to rent more cropland.
Glyphosate, a broad spectrum herbicide, is marketed under several
brand names, including Roundup and Touchdown.
To gauge the importance of weed resistance-management practices, Syngenta
crop protection commissioned a survey of members of the American Society
of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers in April 2003. The survey follows
up a similar benchmark survey in February 2002.
The study revealed that more than two-thirds of the responding professional
farm managers and rural appraisers expect the importance of glyphosate-resistant
weeds to increase in determining rental values and land appraisals,
with more than 74% reporting that resistance-management practices
currently influence tenant selection for the farmland they rent. In
fact, these concerns are on the rise; 71% of the 2003 respondents
say resistant weeds are important in determining farmland rental values,
compared to 53% in 2002. Eighty percent say the presence of glyphosate-resistant
weeds, specifically, was an important determining factor of rental
value, compared to 58% in 2002. When asked about the impact weed pressure
had on rental values, the 2003 respondants estimate that controlling
specific weed pressure - including implementing proper glyphosate
resistance management practices - can potentially preserve up to 16
percent of farmland value.
The key to resistance management is to alternate the use of herbicides
having different modes of action. This is particularly important in
permanent crops because, unlike row crops, they cannot be easily rotated
to help alleviate the problem.
