Ralph Pearce The future of glyphosate: Farmers in Canada are waiting for the fallout of legal battles in the U.S. Most days, farming is challenged by weather conditions, cost of production issues, and market volatility. But in 2025, North American growers are watching and waiting as the future of a reliable, reasonably-priced and long-trusted tool is being decided, without their input—and some might say without their consideration. cloudy or clear It’s been nearly 30 years since Roundup Ready soybeans entered North America’s agricultural landscape, becoming the leading herbicide-tolerant technology, which was also adapted to corn, canola, alfalfa, sugar beets, and cotton. The cost-effectiveness and simplicity of Roundup’s active ingredient (glyphosate) and its control of broadleaf species drove its popularity. Bayer is one of several companies that manufacture glyphosate, but perhaps the most well-known, having acquired Monsanto, including Roundup and Roundup Ready technologies, in 2018. A 2018 legal battle against Roundup has escalated to hundreds of thousands, with cost estimates in the billions of dollars. But behind the legal action and the assertions by those opposed to pesticides and transgenics is a disturbing level of distrust towards science and empirical evidence. And somehow, farmers—in the U.S. and Canada—find themselves pushed to the side while being affected directly by the pending outcome. ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER INDUSTRY NEWS 14
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