Herbicide Horror Story

This month new owners are taking over the 57 acre farm across the road from us. I've been caring for the place for quite a few years through the elderly couple's heath issues and his passing. We've known them since we moved here almost four decades ago. I've help unload hay, repaired equipment, watched over their place every winter while they stayed in Florida, gathered cords of dead wood from fencerows, and cross country skied around their fields almost every day they were covered with snow.

Last fall a large truck sprayed while driving up and down all the fields. When I asked Alice about this she informed me that she gave permission for the future owners to apply Roundup so they can start with a clean slate of crops the following spring. The fields had all been used for hay for many, many years and had a wide variety of grass, weeds and some small woody plants. These fields slowly turned brown over many weeks but were not very noticeable because unsprayed fields and roadside plants also faded as fall turned into winter. 

Spring has come late here but it has arrived and lawns and most fields are becoming very green, except for the roughly 50 acres that were sprayed with Roundup. It's unbelievably good at killing hundreds of varieties of plants! They following photos show what these fields look like today, with some contrasting strips and neighboring fields that did not get sprayed.

View Out Our Front Door with the Near Field Herbicide Free. The Field Beyond Is Covered in Dead Grass and If Not for the Herbicide, Would Also Be Green.

View of the Northwest Corner of the Property Showing the Green Buffer Field and the Green Hedgerow

View of the Southwest Corner and Herbicide Free Hedgerow

View to the Southeast Showing the Neighboring Farm All Green

Backyard View of Barn, Sheds, House, Garage and Lawn

View of Pond Where the Ground Was Too Soft to Let the Herbicide Truck Get Too Close 

View of Hedgerow Showing How Precise the Herbicide Works

View to the North Showing a Gully That Prevented Herbicide Truck From Entering: Note the Daffodils Just Under the Barn on the Left

The Daffodils, with Belle, a Bit Closer

Lucky Daffodils!

One Tiny Spot Missed on 50 Acres!

Having primarily used organic methods of pest and weed control my whole life, I'm upset that these new neighbors rely on herbicides to eliminate any competition for seeds they plant.