Farmer says loss of chlorpyrifos hard for growers

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Farmer says loss of chlorpyrifos hard for growers

A corn and soybean grower says the EPA’s elimination of chlorpyrifos on crops is a big deal in his state.

Kevin Deinert farms in southeastern South Dakota, tells Brownfield Ag News, “Given the drought that we’ve had, we see more insect and disease pressure – specifically, spider mites and sometimes soybean aphis. So with the elimination of the future use of chlorpyrifos we’re going to use a valuable tool in the ability to fight some of those pests.”

Deinert says growers will have to switch to multiple chemicals which will likely lead to more insect pressure and other problems, “We may see some resistance to those chemicals and we might see some increased costs. It’s going to take more chemicals to control those pests when we need it.”

Dineart is second vice president of the South Dakota Soybean Association.

The EPA’s ban on chlorpyrifos on food crops goes into effect early next year.

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