SUBMIT COMMENTS, SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR NEW TECHNOLOGIES

Lindsay Mitchell

Feb 21, 2014  |  Today's News

Dow AgroScience’s new 2-4D technology, Enlist, is still moving through the regulatory process, hoping to be available to farmers in the marketplace sooner rather than later.  If you are interested in having access to this new technology – or any new technology that has been scientifically reviewed and proven safe – you owe it to yourself and your industry to submit comments on this issue.

Click here for step by step instructions, including sample comments, to show your support.

The development of glyphosate-tolerant crops in the mid-1990s helped farmers to effectively manage weeds in a cost-effective manner. There were also significant environmental benefits associated with planting these crops, including improved soil and water quality and reduced soil erosion and greenhouse gas emissions. Today, glyphosate-tolerant crops have been adopted on 85 to 95 percent of corn, soy and cotton acres in the United States.

However, the long-term effectiveness of this system is threatened by increasingly hard-to-control and glyphosate-resistant weeds. Years of widespread and consistent use of glyphosate as the single mode of weed management have contributed to an increase in both the number and geographic distribution of resistant species.

This is why options are important.  As a farmer, you need access to new technologies and new options that will allow you to continue efficient weed management on your farms.  You need options that help you produce more with less, growing increasing yields with fewer inputs and less impact to the soil and water.

As part of the regulatory process, USDA has opened a docket for public comments on the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Enlist™ corn and soybean traits. These comment periods offer supporters of American agriculture the chance to express the urgent need for this technology.

Click here to be directed directly to the docket so you can submit your comments in support of the deregulation of all three Enlist productsYou may also download this step by step guide to submitting comments, including a sample comment.

For your convenience, we have provided the following comment that you may copy and paste, remembering to fill in the blanks.

DATE

Biotechnology Regulatory Services
4700 River Road
USDA, APHIS
Riverdale, MD 20737

Docket no. APHIS-2013-0042

Dear Sir or Madam:

I am an Illinois corn farmer.  I have utilized new seed and herbicide technologies in the past and have found that current products help me preserve my soil, lessen my environmental footprint, and leave my farm better than I received it.  While my current strategy is working well, I know there will be a day when I need to utilize new technologies to stay ahead of weed and disease pressure.  For that reason, I support the deregulation of the Enlist products.

Having options is important to me because … [FARMER FILL IN BLANK.]

Thank you for the opportunity to comment.  I urge you to complete the regulatory process as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

NAME
ADDRESS
ADDRESS