Kansas, often the No. 1 wheat state, is the latest hot spot for emergence of herbicide-resistant weeds. It is a problem, often linked to glyphosate, that is moving from the southern U.S. into the Midwest and Plains, says Reuters. Glyphosate is the most widely used weedkiller in the world. Dallas Peterson, a weed scientist at Kansas State University, said glyphosate-resistant weeds were especially troublesome in Kansas soybean fields. Rainy weather was a contributing factor. “It’s really kind of exploded,” Peterson said.
Fourteen weed species are known to be resistant to glyphosate, according to the USDA. “Weed resistance across U.S. farmland is becoming such a significant problem that the agriculture committee of the U.S. House of Representatives has scheduled a briefing on the problem for Dec. 4,” said Reuters.