Weeds That Defy Pesticide Invading Farms

Some of the weeds Tennessee Valley farmers are battling this year seem more like something found in a 1950s science fiction flick than in a cotton, corn or soybean field.

July 4, 2010 | Source: Daily Comet | by Dennis Sherer

Some of the weeds Tennessee Valley farmers are battling this year seem more like something found in a 1950s science fiction flick than in a cotton, corn or soybean field.

Pigweed that cannot be killed by commonly used herbicides is showing up in fields all over north Alabama, prompting fears that super weeds are going to cause widespread problems for Tennessee Valley farmers in 2011.

“We saw a little resistant pigweed last year, and have a lot more this year,” said Lauderdale County farmer Randall Vaden. “Next year is going to tell the tale of if we were able to stop the resistant weeds before they become a real problem in this area.”

Vaden said Georgia already has a huge problem with resistant weeds taking over some fields, smothering everything else and forcing the field to be abandoned.

Chuck Benbrook, chief scientist for the Organic Center in Eugene, Ore., said the over-reliance on the popular herbicide Roundup and similar pesticides is to blame for hard-to-kill weeds.