By RACHEL LANE

D.C. Correspondent

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The next company to develop a new method of weed control has the potential to make billions of dollars, and Bayer’s announcement of more than $5 billion for such research funds is no surprise.

Last month, Bayer, now the parent company of Monsanto, announced it would invest $5.6 billion over the next decade to develop new ways to combat weeds. Plants are increasingly resistant to glyphosate, such as Monsanto’s signature Roundup herbicide.

Aaron Hager, associate professor of crop science at the University of Illinois, specializes in weed science. He said every time a new herbicide is developed, it is used until the weeds form a resistance. While this herbicide will be profitable for the company that develops it, it is only one implement in the toolbox for controlling weeds.

"We tried to convey the message not to think of weed management as opening a jug of something, and the weeds will die,” Hager explained.

Farmers need to decide what technologies and farming practices are best for their farm, he added. Some countries still rely on workers hand-weeding fields, but it is labor-intensive and expensive compared to other methods. Tilling can be used, but it does cause other problems, such as soil erosion and fewer nutrients in the soil.

No single method of weed control is best. Companies are trying to not only find new ways to combat weeds but also improve existing methods. Hager said identifying what allows weeds to create herbicide resistance is one of the issues being studied.

Now there are fewer companies doing the research, but many of them are large with more money to invest in research. One of those companies will develop a new herbicide and weeds will start to form a resistance – but herbicides will always be a part of the toolbox farmers use to control weeds.

Bill Johnson, professor of weed science at Purdue University, said companies are investing money in the research, but he doesn’t know of anything new ready for public market now.

He said companies are secretive regarding projects in order to keep competitors from taking or using the research – as a result, universities get the new products for testing when they are about ready for sale.

He does know some seed companies are making soybeans resistant to corn herbicides so the corn herbicides that would kill the soy plant can be used on soy fields – but that means the weeds are being exposed to twice the amount of herbicide and will form a resistance faster.

“What people gravitate towards is what is simple, works well, and cheap,” Johnson explained. “With low crop prices, it really forces people down that pathway. When crop prices are high, we find people willing to gravitate to trying something different or more expensive.”

He said there are many options in the United States, and in other countries. What is being done in South America now is not much different than what the U.S. was doing 15 years ago – available technology being a key factor in the different methods of weed control.

In the European Union, fewer herbicides are approved for use, so farmers do more tillage and high-labor methods to control weeds. “They key is to stay one step ahead of the weeds in the field. How do you do that? It’s different on every farm,” Johnson said.

He said if farmers in the U.S. could make money while using labor-intensive weed control methods, they would do it, but it might require planting fewer acres of crops. They will avoid the more expensive methods until prices are higher and they can afford it.

Johnson allowed that the Bayer announcement might be an attempt to distract from current lawsuits against the company regarding Roundup, but said it could just be a standard announcement like any company of that size makes. Many companies are looking to market a better weed control method.