Production Blog

Last Call on EPA Rules

Emily Unglesbee
By  Emily Unglesbee , DTN Staff Reporter
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Think the EPA's new rootworm rule proposal doesn't affect you because you don't struggle with that pest? Think again. (DTN file photo)

ST. LOUIS (DTN) -- Procrastinators have triumphed. You still have time to comment on a new EPA proposal on Bt-corn use up until April 15.

The agency granted the public another month to comment on the proposal after several requests from stakeholders for more time. The proposal -- which would set new rules governing the use of Bt-corn hybrids in the hope of slowing the development of corn rootworm resistance -- was first posted on Jan. 28, with a public comment period deadline of March 16. If you were among those who asked for more time to read the proposal and comment, now's your chance.

If you weren't, you should be. Although the proposal ostensibly only targets Bt hybrids with corn rootworm protection, in practice, it could have far-reaching implications for most growers of Bt corn.

Much of DTN's coverage of the new proposal has focused on its implications for growers in "hotspots." Those are areas designated by the EPA as high-risk for resistance because of dense populations of rootworm infestations. They would face particularly restrictive rules and include parts of Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, western Indiana, southwestern Wisconsin, southern Minnesota, and eastern South Dakota.

Don't relax if your farming operation doesn't fall into any of those locations.

The proposal goes on to list an additional set of farming requirements for growers in low-risk areas, which the document defines as "the 'fringe' of the Corn Belt."

Here, growers who use corn hybrids with Bt proteins targeting the corn rootworm would be subject to a separate but equally mandatory set of rules. The companies selling seed would be required to ensure that 50% of their customers were using approved integrated pest management (IPM) tactics. Specifically, they would have to prove that one-third were rotating to soybeans at least every two years, that another third were using pyramided Bt-corn hybrids, and a final third were using non-Bt corn hybrids in conjunction with a soil-applied insecticide.

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According to the USDA, up to 80% of all corn grown in the U.S. contains Bt proteins. Not all Bt proteins fall under the scope of these proposed rules, since they don't all target the corn rootworm. Still, most of the Bt corn products available to farmers today contain a stack of Bt-traits, and the majority of those contain at least one Bt protein targeting the corn rootworm.

It's true that some areas of the country, such as the South, don't face heavy rootworm populations and farmers can get by without corn designed to target that pest. However, unless you scrutinize your corn hybrids every year to specifically avoid any Bt proteins targeting the corn rootworm, it's difficult for Midwestern growers to avoid them.

By our count, only six of the 25 commercially available Bt corn hybrids do not contain corn rootworm protection. (Check your hybrid line-up for rootworm traits with this handy Bt-trait table from Michigan State and the University of Wisconsin: http://bit.ly/…)

In short, if you're a farmer growing Bt corn in the Midwest, there's a pretty good chance these rules could affect your farming operation.

In addition to the IPM quotas, the proposal suggests banning the practice of applying soil insecticides on top of Bt corn products targeting the corn rootworm. The proposed ban stems from university research showing that this practice can actually speed up rootworm resistance to Bt proteins.

Not every farmer has severe enough rootworm problems to resort to layering insecticides on top of Bt-corn to protect roots. But many farmers do routinely add soil insecticides to their planting line-up to battle other underground pests, such as wireworms and white grubs. If they happen to be using a corn hybrid with a stack of Bt proteins that includes rootworm traits, this rule would apply to them as well.

Even if you don't face the problem of rootworm resistance in your fields right now, don't underestimate its impact. The breakdown of Bt proteins targeting this pest promises to change the landscape of Bt-technology permanently, whether or not you take part in the process.

If the EPA proposal is finalized without changes, many Bt-corn farmers could lose autonomy over common farming decisions such as when to rotate crops, which Bt-hybrids to select, and how to protect against underground pests.

David Brown, is a farmer in Macon County, Illinois, who battles the corn rootworm annually and would fall under the proposal's most restrictive requirements.

Intense rootworm pressure has caused the failure of some Bt products for Brown, and he has no doubts that the EPA's proposal could become a farming reality for him.

"We will comply to the new rules, just like we did the old rules," he told DTN. "It is my hope that [compliance] will remain voluntary, but we really have little choice."

"I hope that other farmers realize what is at stake and take this seriously."

You can read the EPA's proposed new Bt-corn rules here: http://1.usa.gov/…, and comment through April 15 here: http://1.usa.gov/….

Emily Unglesbee can be reached at emily.unglesbee@dtn.com

Follow Emily Unglesbee on Twitter @Emily_Unglesbee

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