Colorado Corn
Cultivating Opportunities
Tag: Atrazine
NCGA Asks Farmers, Allies to Speak Out Against Petition Seeking Ban on Atrazine
The National Corn Growers Association reminds farmers and their allies to submit comments opposing a petition filed with the Environmental Protection Agency that would ban atrazine use and production before the public comment period closes on November 14. The petition, originally submitted this spring by an activist organization named Save the Frogs, asks for both further review of this proven herbicide and regulatory changes.
Atrazine Aids Farmers in Continuing to be World’s Largest Producer of Corn
During testimony before an Environmental Protection Agency Scientific Advisory Panel evaluating the effects of atrazine on human health, NCGA Director of Public Policy Sarah Gallo explained the importance of the product to combat weeds effectively and affordably. She also discussed how farmers have been safely applying atrazine for more than a half century.
“The United States is the world’s largest producer and exporter of corn and one of the key inputs that makes this possible is atrazine,” Gallo said during her testimony.
EPA to Convene Scientific Advisory Panel on Atrazine
Sept. 9: Beginning Tuesday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will hold a Scientific Advisory Panel for a reevaluation of the herbicide atrazine. For four days, academic, industry and government experts, along with representatives of stakeholder groups, will again address the EPA committee with information on the safe and important herbicide atrazine.
The most studied herbicide in the world, with more than 6,000 studies on record, atrazine is already supported as a safe crop protectant by years of credible, scientific research.
The High Cost of Banning Atrazine
Banning the agricultural herbicide atrazine would cost between 21,000 and 48,000 jobs from corn production losses alone, according to University of Chicago economist Don Coursey. Dr. Coursey announced his findings at a briefing today sponsored by the Triazine Network at the National Press Club in Washington. The National Corn Growers Association is part of the Triazine Network.
Dr. Coursey estimates atrazine’s annual production value to corn alone to be between $2.3 billion and $5 billion.
