Weighing The Risks Of Using Glyphosate

Nothing in life is without risk.

 

That according to Dr. Joe Schwarcz, a professor of chemistry at McGill University in Montreal, who notes the same can be said about farmers using glyphosate on their crops.

 

He says consumers need to consider whether or not the concerns are reasonable.

 

"The real question to ask about glyphosate is whether or not the benefits outweigh the risks," explained Schwarcz. "Glyphosate is probably the best studied weed killer in history. There are literally hundreds of studies. Now of course there are some studies that raise concern and that's not unexpected because if you do enough studies about anything, some of them just by chance alone will show some spurious results."

 

He says that consumers shouldn't look at single studies, but should focus on the entire picture.

 

Schwarcz adds that when you look at all the data put together, the benefits of glyphosate outweigh any kind of risk that is associated with using the pesticide.

 

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.