We NEVER spray any crop on our farm with glyphosate. It's strictly forbidden by organic rules. And I watch and report any time I observe evidence of drift on our organic fields. But I would be a blind idealist if I guaranteed you that all our crops were always perfectly clean.
I think it's appalling that glyphosate was ever approved by the EPA to be used as a desiccant or harvest aid in conventional small grains like oats and wheat. This is the practice of spraying glyphosate directly on seed heads in the fields just prior to harvest, thus guaranteeing that the weeds are dead and the entire crop is ready to harvest. I'm glad there has been an uproar against this practice. While it's still legal, hopefully consumer pressure will put a practical end to it. However, all the testing has exposed a little known fact in the organic world as well. There is so much glyphosate used in the world today that it's in everything, including rainwater and air. I farm on flat open praire, with nothing to stop the wind for miles and lots of conventional neighboring farms nearby. Even if I could watch 24/7 all the spraying that occurs (which I can't), I can't keep the rain off my fields. And the glyphosate detection levels are getting better every year. They are now easily down to parts per billion (ppb). (1 bbp is equal to 1 drop of water in a semi tanker, or 1 second in almost 32 years.) Also, while most of my neighboring conventional farmers are great none are happy that I switched to organic farming, since the penalties for drifting onto an organic farm are severe compared to drifting onto a conventional farm. The other year one neighbor had to weed an adjacent field by hand (something I haven't seen a conventional farmer to in 30 years), because the weather conditions were never favorable enough to legally allow him to spray. Other neighbors are not so great or willing to strictly follow the drift laws. Some have taken up a crusade against organic farming, and are continually trying to end it in the area. It's a constant fight to stay in business and provide you with a chemical free product. And while I'll do the best I can, hopefully you can appreciate the reality of the world we live in. While I'm sure my crops will have MUCH less glyphosate than most conventional grains (and usually be below detection levels), I can't guarantee it will always test perfectly clean. Especially as detection methods improve and are able to find lower concentrations.
