Ongoing public debate about glyphosate has led some to question what the impacts would be if it were no longer available.
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U.S. farmers would bear the burden of increased input and operating costs, with small farmers disproportionately affected.
Further analysis reveals a cascading chain of likely higher-order effects and unintended consequences, the most impactful being the rapid release of additional greenhouse gasses and the reversal of decades of conservation and sustainability gains.
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Main Impacts Of A Future Without Glyphosate:
- Farmers’ profits fall as labor costs rise and they turn to more expensive glyphosate alternatives
- Use of alternatives would represent a 2-2.5X increase in cost/acre while switching to tillage could increase production costs by $1.9B+
- Small farmers are hit the hardest by decreased profits
- Costs to consumers rise as food prices experience marginal, inflationary pressures
- CO2 emissions and fuel use increases
