When Weeds Won’t Die — Ep. 2: The NIMBY Principle & Farmer Perceptions on Herbicide Resistance

Have you seen the NIMBY principle in action? It stands for “not in my backyard,” and it shows up in all manner of ways in agriculture — from the downplaying of potential problems, to perceptions on herbicide resistant weeds. How prevalent is it? In this second installment of Real Agriculture’s podcast focused on herbicide resistant weeds we explore not just the prevalence of resistant weeds, but also farmers’ awareness and perception of the issue in Canada.

Did you know? There are over 20 confirmed herbicide resistant weed biotypes in Alberta alone? And nearly 30% of acres across Western Canada have Group 1 resistant wild oats.

How aware are farmers of the weed biotypes in their field? As we learned in the first installment of this series, knowing what kind of resistance you have in the field makes a big difference. But how aware are farmers of herbicide resistance at all? Or the risk of it, based on their current field management? Does the NIMBY principle prevail?

The guest on this week’s podcast is Michael Reidy, with Stratus Ag Research, interviewed by Bernard Tobin. Reidy’s company recently completed an extensive survey of farmer’s perceptions on the topic, and the findings are encouraging, insightful and, at the same time, concerning. Listen on for that discussion!

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