soybean rust

New policy by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will have an immediate negative impact on farmers in 12 Ohio counties. Calling it a reversal in “decades of practice,” EPA says it will further the agency’s compliance with the Endangered Species Act when evaluating and registering new pesticide active ingredients. This change took effect Jan. 11.

According to the Ohio State University Extension C.O.R.N. Newsletter, EPA issued a new seven-year registration for Enlist One and Enlist Duo, valid through January 2029, but made some detrimental changes to the products’ application guidelines. 

“It’s great that EPA has renewed labels for the next seven years for a product line that is very important for soybean growers, but it comes with a whole host of new restrictions that we haven’t seen before with these products,” said Brandon Kern, senior director of state and national policy with Ohio Farm Bureau. “Growers looking for alternative options to dicamba have chosen Enlist soybeans for the 2022 growing season, and now that those purchases have already been made and the seed has been delivered, there are many concerns with these new limitations.”

Changes include a revised application cutoff for soybean growth stages, now “through R1” replaces “up to R2” on previous labels, and the addition of a slew of spray nozzles to the approved nozzle list. The most significant change for Ohio is that, due to changes in Endangered Species information, Enlist One and Enlist Duo cannot be used in 12 Ohio counties: Athens, Butler, Fairfield, Guernsey, Hamilton, Hocking, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Vinton and Washington.

“Ohio Farm Bureau and other state Farm Bureaus have been in close contact with each other and American Farm Bureau about this issue as we begin to understand more about the ramifications of some of these restrictions,” Kern said. “I think there is going to be a series of meetings and direct conversations with EPA and we look forward to sharing these concerns and hope that EPA understands how limiting this action will be for farmers across the country.”

EPA said that before these drastic changes in policy, in most cases it did not consistently assess the potential effects of conventional pesticides on listed species when registering new active ingredients. This resulted in insufficient protections from new active ingredients for listed species, as well as resource-intensive litigation against EPA for registering new active ingredients prior to assessing potential effects on listed species.

“This really couldn’t happen at a worse time for growers in these counties,” said Mark Loux, Ohio State University Extension herbicide specialist and one of the authors of the C.O.R.N. Newsletter. “We lack solid information on herbicide availability and price, and it’s a fluid situation, but it appears that glyphosate and glufosinate can be in short supply, and prices are high.”

In the C.O.R.N. Newsletter, Loux offers a few things to consider if your burndown plans for 2022 have been impacted by this EPA revision and some suggestions when looking for an alternative to Enlist One and Enlist Duo.

Legal with Leah

US EPA announced a new policy which requires a more robust review of agri-chemicals in relation to the Endangered Species Act, impacting farmers who had planned on using some Enlist products this year. Why was this policy created? Get answers from Ohio Farm Bureau Policy Counsel Leah Curtis.

 

Ohio Farm Bureau · Legal With Leah – Enlist Duo And EPA Decision
The issue of property taxation remains as one of the biggest challenges our members face today. Ensuring agricultural property is valued for its agricultural potential and not development is critical to the continued success of Ohio agriculture.
Matt Aultman's avatar
Matt Aultman

Darke County Farm Bureau

Giving farmers a voice
The plan we are on is great. It’s comparable to my previous job's plan, and we are a sole proprietor.
Kevin Holy's avatar
Kevin Holy

Geauga County Farm Bureau

Ohio Farm Bureau Health Benefits Plan
I could not have done it without the resources I have found through Farm Bureau.
Gretchan Francis's avatar
Gretchan Francis

Trumbull County Farm Bureau

Bringing the farm back to life
We really appreciate what Farm Bureau has done to get people interested in this line of work and workforce development and getting people interested in this industry.
Jody Brown Boyd's avatar
Jody Brown Boyd

Brown's Family Farm Market

Finding farm labor
We work terrifically with the Ashtabula County Farm Bureau, hosting at least one to two outreach town hall events every year to educate new farmers and existing farmers on traditional CAUV and woodlands.
David Thomas's avatar
David Thomas

Ashtabula County Auditor

CAUV: Past, present and future
Because we are younger farmers just starting out, Farm Bureau has a lot of good opportunities and resources to help us grow in the future.
Hannah Kiser's avatar
Hannah Kiser

Sandusky County Farm Bureau

Farm Bureau involvement
Through the Select Partner program, we became educated in farm insurance and weren't just selling policies. It became more and more clear why farmers need an advocate like Ohio Farm Bureau.
Chad Ruhl's avatar
Chad Ruhl

Farm manager, CSI Insurance

Select Partner Program
So many of the issues that OFBF and its members are advocating for are important to all Ohioans. I look at OFBF as an agricultural watchdog advocating for farmers and rural communities across Ohio.
Mary Smallsreed's avatar
Mary Smallsreed

Trumbull County Farm Bureau

Advocacy
Suggested Tags: