Farm Compliance

“NCGA’s members strongly support the continued use of atrazine as an agronomic necessity on about two-thirds of all U.S. corn,” NCGA Director of Public Policy Rod Snyder said. “U.S. farmers rely on atrazine for cost-effective, broadleaf weed control in corn. We believe that EPA should use the best available science that reflects real, on the ground data and appropriately assesses the probability, if any, that atrazine will have any effect on aquatic communities.”

Atrazine is also a tool for conserving soil and mitigating climate change. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows atrazine is the most widely used corn herbicide in conservation tillage systems reducing soil erosion by as much as 90 percent and protecting water from sediment, the number one pollutant of U.S. waterways. To minimize climate change, atrazine is used as an alternative to mechanical cultivation to control weeds, which reduces green house gas emissions from plowing. Using atrazine in conservation tillage reduces the use of fossil fuels, erosion, sedimentary pollution into streams and lakes, and carbon dioxide release. Atrazine is also an important tool in successfully managing weeds that are resistant to other herbicides.

State executives testifying before EPA were: Jere White of Kansas Corn Growers Association; Todd Barlow of Kentucky Corn Growers Association; Scott Merritt of Nebraska Corn Growers Association; and Gary Marshall of Missouri Corn Growers Association.