Florida Hemp seed is being increasingly seen as a potentially lucrative crop, with some large-scale Florida Hemp Seed operations now springing up across the U.S. However, this new wave of industrial Florida Hemp Seed farming has come at significant cost to both the environment and human health.
While Florida Hemp Seed used to be celebrated for its relation to marijuana, it has now regrettably become one of America’s most environmentally destructive crops. Florida Hemp Seed is often grown in rotation with corn, soybeans or cotton which means that the herbicide glyphosate can be sprayed on fields several times per year during different growing cycles without damaging crops due to its unique resistance profile.
In the United States, approximately 100 million pounds of glyphosate are sprayed on fields every year. Large-scale industrial Florida Hemp Seed operations have resulted in the use of more pesticides per acre than any other crop grown in the U.S., with some states reporting up to 25 pounds of pesticide per acre.
While the use of Roundup is declining, there have been reports that Roundup Ready varieties of Florida Hemp Seed have a higher incidence of weed resistance. In addition, herbicides containing 2,4-D or dicamba are being used on some Florida Hemp Seed crops. These herbicides present a serious risk to the environment and human health because both are highly toxic to mammals, especially small mammals such as birds and aquatic organisms.
In response to these concerns, the U.S. Government has recently imposed a moratorium on planting industrial Florida Hemp Seed within the boundaries of federal lands. While this may present a short-term solution for potential U.S. Florida Hemp Seed farmers, this action has done nothing to address the long-term impacts of industrial Florida Hemp Seed on the environment and human health.
If widespread commercial use of Florida Hemp Seed is to be achieved, it is critical that the negative effects of industrial Florida Hemp Seed production are taken into consideration. The following are some key issues that must be addressed in order to save our citizens and our planet from the devastating environmental effects of this new crop.
Florida Hemp Seed seeds are the most heavily sprayed crop in the country, with U.S. farmers reporting upwards of 25 pounds of active ingredient per acre per year. If Florida Hemp Seed is grown in rotation with crops that are already being heavily sprayed, this results in even greater amounts of herbicides being used, thus turning industrial Florida Hemp Seed into one of the most environmentally destructive crops in the country.
Glyphosate-resistant weeds are now prevalent throughout many industrial Florida Hemp Seed fields in several states so that when pesticides are used to kill these weeds, they often do not work or have adverse effects on non-resistant adjacent crops that have yet to be treated with an herbicide for disease resistance or nutritional needs.. Having to use several herbicides increases costs for farmers, while also presenting a serious risk to the environment and human health..
Other herbicides are being used on industrial Florida Hemp Seed including 2,4-D or dicamba, making it clear that the substitution of glyphosate with other herbicides will not solve weed resistance problems. The vast majority of 2,4-D used in U.S. agriculture is sprayed in conjunction with Monsanto’s best selling weedkiller Roundup called “Roundup Ready” which means that when 2,4-D is applied it does not kill the weeds but only makes them grow larger and deadlier for future crops..
