There is a current facebook thing going around about how bad we farmers are for spraying our wheat before harvest. Some grossly un-informed folk, has gone on a rampage and made stuff up. She is trying to link the practice to gluten intolerance. IE. it is not the gluten, it is the glyphosate.
I would say that less than 10% of North American wheat is actually sprayed with anything pre-harvest. And if it is, it is sprayed with about 12 ounces per acre. Not all the herb goes on the seeds.
The funniest thing about the article that my wife showed me that is tearing up the facebook circuit, is that the author said farmers do it because, get this, "It stimulates the wheat to make more seeds!" No joke, the author says that applying glyphosate causes the wheat to kind of panic, and somehow grow more seeds.
Ummm, no. The wheat is ripe, it is not growing, it is not even able to take in herbicide any more, and the maximum number of seeds has been set by the three or four leaf stage.
The author also uses such jargon as "doused". Since when is a half a pound of active ingredient, sprayed over an acre, dousing? Since when is a can of pop amount of herbicide, sprayed on 3 or 4 thousand pounds of grain, dousing?
Once I read the article, I was happy to inform my limited facebook world, that it was a royal, huge, honking, un-informed farce yet again.
What other career has to constantly defend itself from stupidity? Who is attacking the mechanics, calling them inept, over and over? Who is attacking nurses and telling them they are doing it all wrong?
It gets tiring, but I will not quit. When 1 % of north americans farm, our voice is miniature, compared to the number who do not farm, yet attack us with mis-information, and spread filth among consumers.
Listen to quacks, bloggers, and non-farmers.
But DO NOT ASK A FARMER!
In this case, I thank you Pretty Paisley, for asking and giving us a chance to reply!
