Roundup Agricultural Herbicides

1960

In 1960, an Agricultural Division is formed within Monsanto. In the mid- 1960s, Monsanto established Monsanto Agricultural Centers, or MACs. They were retail operations, something new to Monsanto, and provided all the fertilizer and pesticides a farmer might need, including testing and provided fertilizer and herbicide solutions farmers needed including testing and product application to fields in some cases. MACs were phased out in 1975.

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1970

A young chemist named John Franz, who had recently been transferred to the Ag division, began work with another scientist, Dr. Phil Hamm, the head of Monsanto's herbicide screening program. Hamm was excited about two phosphonic acid compounds that had been recently submitted by chemists from another part of Monsanto, compounds that initially were studied as water softeners but showed mild herbicidal activity. Hamm wondered if there might be some use for the compounds as herbicides and asked Franz to study them.

Franz continued to create derivatives of these phosphonic compounds, examining how they metabolized in plants. He hypothesized that the actual active ingredient was a compound produced in the metabolism process. He began to synthesize some of those compounds. The third compound he synthesized showed great promise on grassy weeds like Johnson grass and quack grass. This compound would prove to be one that would change the face of farming, a molecule named glyphosate.

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1972-1973

In the early 1970s when glyphosate was first discovered, Monsanto marketers were perplexed. They were accustomed to selling herbicides that were selective, which controlled certain weeds but left crops unharmed. Glyphosate was non-selective that affects a wide range of plants it encounters. But because of its environmental profile, many saw the potential for farmers to use it in ways to benefit both their crops and the ecosystem.

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1974

Original Roundup brand herbicide commercialized in Malaysia and the UK.

1976

Original Roundup brand herbicide commercialized for agriculture use in Canada.

This innovative herbicide empowered farmers to effectively eliminate nearly all weeds that sprouted from the soil, reducing the need for tilling and helping to prevent soil erosion. From an environmental fate perspective, Roundup agricultural herbicides broke down into natural substances - carbon dioxide, phosphoric acid, and ammonia. In terms of environmental impact, the original Roundup agricultural herbicide stood out as one of the safest herbicides ever developed.

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Late 1970s

In 1970, most farmers believed they had no choice but to use herbicides and tilling to control weeds. At the time, most herbicides were pre-emergent, meaning they created a chemical barrier on the surface of a field and killed weeds when they sprouted through this barrier and came in contact with the herbicide.

To be effective, pre-emergent herbicides had to spread evenly when applied to fields, ensuring a consistent barrier against sprouting weeds. They also needed to stay active for a long time so they would continue to be effective after the spring rainy season.

These two common traits were environmentally problematic because active pre-emergent herbicides could wash into streams and groundwater, potentially affecting wildlife and fish.

Roundup herbicides were different and possessed one of the most benign environmental profiles in the history of modern agriculture.

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1980s

Starting in the early 1980s, Monsanto began to invest heavily in a new science called biotechnology. The company built new labs, hired new scientists, performed year upon year of research and spent billions of dollars chasing a dream.

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1994

Original Roundup brand herbicide named by Farm Chemicals Magazine as one of the “Top Ten Products that Changed the Face of Agriculture.” The broad-spectrum control and ease of use of Roundup brand herbicides was a game changer that also helped to enable the adoption of no-till and reduced-till practices, reduced the risk of soil erosion, plus improved on-farm efficiency.

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1996

Roundup Ready Canola is introduced in Canada. This technology changed the face of Western Canadian agriculture and was a catalyst in the success of the Canadian canola industry. This was the beginning of the adoption of several glyphosate resistant crops with higher yield potential.

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1997

Roundup Ready Soybeans are introduced in Canada, providing farmers with in-seed herbicide tolerance to Roundup and other glyphosate-based herbicides.

2004

Roundup WeatherMAX and Roundup Transorb HC are introduced for sale in Canada.

Dr. John Franz is introduced into the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame for

his invention of glyphosate.

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2008

Corn hybrids with Roundup Ready 2 Technology® introduced in Canada delivering flexibility, broad-spectrum weed control, proven crop safety and cutting-edge agronomics.

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2016

Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® soybeans are introduced in Canada as part of the Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System with improved yield potential and control of tough-to-manage weeds like Canada fleabane, waterhemp, kochia and more.

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2018

Bayer Crop Science acquires Monsanto and Roundup brand herbicides. Bayer Crop Science continues to focus on optimizing the Roundup agricultural herbicide formulation for Canadian farms.

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2019

Bayer Crop Science introduces TruFlex® canola with Roundup Ready® Technology, a revolution in canola production.

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2020

TruFlex® LibertyLink® canola is introduced in Canada. This innovative canola trait combination gives you the weed control benefits offered by Roundup® and Liberty® branded herbicides – including the exceptional control of kochia, wild oats, cleavers and waterhemp – while acting as an effective tool to manage and delay herbicide-resistant weeds

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2021

XtendFlex® soybeans are introduced in Canada as part of the Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System enabling the option to use glufosinate.

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2026

50th anniversary of Roundup agricultural herbicides available for use in Canada