Most farmers and scientists agree that glyphosate combined with glyphosate resistant crops is the most significant technology to become available to farmers in the past 50 years. This technology has revolutionized agriculture and allowed farmers to farm more acres with less equipment and labor. The average farm size has increased and has the number of acres under conservation tillage practices have grown by more than 30%. Widespread adoption of Roundup Ready soybean and corn has led to severe infestations of glyphosate-resistant horseweed throughout the U.S. and large pockets of glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth, waterhemp, and giant ragweed.
Current agriculture systems are being compromised by the development of glyphosate-resistant weeds. To date, over twenty-three species have evolved resistance to glyphosate worldwide and at least thirteen of these are found in the U.S. Eight of the thirteen are major threats to soybean production (Palmer amaranth, common waterhemp, common ragweed, giant ragweed, marestail/horseweed, goosegrass, Italian ryegrass, and Johnsongrass).