It’s ironic, reports the National Corn Growers Association, that the EPA would be critical of a product that helps reduce erosion and runoff and protects our soil and water. But the fact of the matter is that the EPA has released a risk assent for atrazine, effectively banning the product. NCGA First VP elect Kevin Skunes from North Dakota talked … Read More
Comment Deadline on Sulfonylureas Approaching
September 12 is the deadline for public comment to the EPA on a Proposed Interim Decision (PID) for regulating the class of herbicides known as sulfonylureas. The Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) is urging farmers and other stakeholders to provide comments on the class of herbicides currently used on millions of acres in the United States. Using the most conservative models … Read More
Bayer Reviewing Belt® Insecticide Decision
Earlier this month, an appeals board for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) upheld the agency’s decision to cancel registration for Bayer’s insecticide flubendiamide, marketed in the U.S. as Belt®, while still existing stocks to be sold by retailers or used by growers, but Bayer is continuing to evaluate its options going forward. “We’re currently going through due diligence and vetting … Read More
EPA Atrazine Decision Could Costs Farmers Billions
The EPA’s latest decision on atrazine is estimated to cost the agriculture industry $2.5 billion in yield losses and input costs. Farm groups are pushing back, saying the current economic state of the ag community is already in a decline. “Farmers cannot afford to lose access to atrazine,” said Wesley Spurlock, a farmer from Stratford, Texas, and First Vice President … Read More
Zeal Miticide Registered for Use on Soybeans
The EPA has registered Valent U.S.A. Corporation’s Zeal SC Miticide for soybeans. Zeal offers soy growers long-lasting control of spider mites. Zeal helps prevent the yield-loss potential caused by two-spotted spider mites and other spider mite species that could feed in soybeans. The mode of action of Zeal ensures at least three weeks or more of residual control, enabling growers … Read More
Existing Stocks of Bayer Belt® Approved for Sale
An appeals board for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has upheld the decision to cancel registration for Bayer’s insecticide flubendiamide, marketed in the U.S. as Belt®, but retailers are being permitted to sell existing stocks to growers. While Bayer intends to comply with the order, it will fully review the EAB’s decision and evaluate its options going forward. “Bayer maintains … Read More
AFBF Pleased with Supreme Court Ruling
A unanimous Supreme Court ruling was handed down yesterday. The law of the land says landowners may challenge the federal government and the Army Corps of Engineers over improper regulations designed to protect water. Landowners have attempted many times to challenge Corps rulings known as jurisdictional determinations, but the government successfully argued that those determinations were not “final agency actions” … Read More
Comment Period Opens on RFS
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a proposal to cut corn ethanol in the Renewable Fuel Standard by nearly 200 million gallons. The comment period for this proposal is opened to the public, now through July 11. The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) urges farmers and consumers to submit a comment as soon as possible. The NCGA has created a webpage … Read More
FB Tells Congress EPA, Army Corp of Engineers Violate Law
The American Farm Bureau Federation told the Senate Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water and Wildlife that the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers have violated their own regulations. The groups have effectively invented new rules to enforce the Clean Water Act, said senior director of congressional relations, Don Parrish. These interpretations of the law are threatening the livelihoods of Americas who … Read More
EPA Approves Varisto Herbicide from BASF
The EPA has given the go-ahead to BASF‘s Varisto herbicide. The product may be used on clover grown for seed, dry beans, dry peas, English peas, lima beans (succulent), snap beans and soybeans. The herbicide offers a wide spectrum of broadleaf and grass weed control. “Varisto herbicide offers multiple sites of action for excellent weed control and resistance management in … Read More