When agribusiness giant Monsanto came up with its Roundup Ready system, it seemed like a superhero to farmers looking for an effective, relatively non-toxic way to fight weeds.
Alas, this was a superhero with a fatal weakness. And before farmers knew what hit them, that weakness had transformed their weed problems into a national superweed crisis.
Monsanto and its agribusiness peers say they have a solution—but it looks an awful lot like the one that failed the first time.
There's a real solution available. We call it healthy farms. It's grounded in science, it's sustainable and cost-effective, and more and more farmers are putting it into practice.
But the transition isn't easy, and farmers need new policies and more research to help them make it happen.