By Julie Tomascik
Associate Editor

Decreased weed management options and increased costs could be facing corn, sorghum and sugarcane farmers if the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) draft ecological assessment on atrazine moves forward.

That’s why Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) has issued an action alert on the pending EPA docket related to atrazine and is asking for farmers to file individual comments before Oct. 4.

“The future of atrazine as a crop protection tool is under threat from EPA,” Brant Wilbourn, TFB associate director of Commodity and Regulatory Activities, said.

Atrazine, the second most commonly applied herbicide in the U.S., is under review by the agency, along with propazine and simazine.

“EPA has published a draft ecological risk assessment of atrazine using data based on incomplete science,” Wilbourn said. “The risk assessment includes studies that were previously deemed scientifically invalid by multiple separate Scientific Advisory Panels.”

He noted the agency also ignored multiple high-quality scientific studies that support the continued use of atrazine as a safe and effective herbicide.

The draft assessment, if left unchallenged, would significantly impact continued availability of atrazine by jeopardizing its reregistration.

The reduced availability of the herbicide may also make it more difficult for farmers who use conservation tillage practices, a farming method that leaves stubble or residue from the previous crop to cover the soil’s surface after planting.

“Without atrazine, farmers would become less efficient at growing a crop and managing weeds,” Wilbourn said.

The inability to use the herbicide could increase farmers’ costs up to $59 per acre, a University of Chicago economic analysis shows.

“In a time of low farm income, this could be another staggering blow to farmers,” Wilbourn said. “Taking away an effective tool that helps farmers grow crops and combat weeds isn’t going to help farmer morale or income. It would just add another problem.”