[leps-talk] Re: Big Oil, Chemical & Farm Machinery companies providesuperb Monarch Butterfly Breeding Habitat

[John Shuey]

Hey - as they do in Newsweek - I should point out that in the spirit of full
disclosure I'm not exactly an "Unbiased Monsanto Basher".

Like I said earlier, we use roundup ready beans and in fact require their
use in certain circumstances.

Further, my program receives generous funding from Monsanto - mostly to look
at conservation tillage issues at high biodiversity aquatic systems in
Indiana, Ohio and Michigan.  Again, we think their beans are one of the best
tools in hand for keeping agricultural runoff out of rivers and streams.
Monsanto funded several years of work in the Upper St Joseph River Project
Area, and just recently funded a proposal to spend 2-years working on
similar soybean production issues in Brazil (funding mostly an exchange
between Indiana and the ag community around Emas National Park - from which
the Emas River flows).

So, my point is this -  Roundup works really well.  Because of our
relationship with Monsanto (and  because their products can be used very
effectively by conservation programs), I personally see their product in
action almost every week. And I can tell you that following the second
treatment in fields this summer - there are essentially no seedlings of
anything in the soybean fields as of last week (transects through fields
totaling about 1,200 acres).  Not even Canada thistle!

So anyone telling you different is either working in fields under
traditional tillage or with farmers that don't have the same mean streak as
Hoosier's do towards their weeds.

Paul may be making his point well - but its a point that does not stand up
to the light of first hand experience.

John

_________________
John Shuey
Director of Conservation Science
Indiana Office of The Nature Conservancy




 
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