Chlorpyrifos is back in the farmer’s toolbox for eleven crops, but soybean growers worry the EPA will take it away again. Grower Tanner Johnson with the Wisconsin Soybean Association says, “Perhaps they would try to use some of the blanket rules that they’ve done in the past, which could negetively impact soybeans.”
Johnson says the Wisconsin Soybean Association is among the groups trying to ensure chlorpyrifos remains consistently available. “If you give them an inch, they may take a mile. That doesn’t just go for EPA. We’ve fought really hard to keep some of these tools in our toolbox, and to lose them can cause severe economic impact overnight, almost, in some instances.”
Johnson says another concern is the possible availability of chlorpyrifos since some major manufacturers have announced they won’t make it anymore. “There’s definitely concern among the farmers in the country that the demand may outweigh the overall supply.”
Johnson says his supplier is advising farmers to purchase chlorpyrifos early to avoid possible shortages.
The 8th U.S. Court of Appeals in St. Louis struck down EPA’s ban on chlorpyrifos, but EPA says it plans to issue new restrictions that would only allow use of the insecticide on alfalfa, apple, asparagus, tart cherries, citrus, cotton, peaches, soybeans, strawberries, sugar beets and wheat.
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