Chlorpyrifos is one of the most widely used active ingredients in insecticides in the world.  It was first registered in the United States in 1965 and has played a key role in pest management for IL corn farmers ever since.

But the EPA could revoke all tolerances and cancel all registrations for chlorpyrifos on March 31 – just because two activist groups filed a petition in 2007.  Your balanced comments on why this product is important on your farm could make the difference.

The EPA can and should deny the petition to revoke tolerances for chlorpyrifos and instead follow its long-established registration review process to address any concerns about the product. 

Is the EPA’s current proposal an attempt to go around the statutory procedures, denying chlorpyrifos the due process and farmers the right and access to crop protection products they deserve?  Maybe.

Your comments would balance the activist cries to revoke tolerances and cancel registrations for this product.  The EPA is required to read and log all the comments they receive.

Here’s how you can spend ten minutes to submit your thoughts before Jan 17, 2017:

1. Click here.
2. Type your comments, including your name and address.
3. Press “Continue”
4. Read the statement and click the box that you’ve read it.
5. Press “Submit”

In case you need some help deciding exactly what to say, think about these points:

1. Chlorpyrifos is effective in treating a number of insect pests in corn including corn rootworms (larvae and adult), seed corn maggots, white grubs, wireworms, corn earworms, armyworms, and cutworms.  How do these pests impact your farm?
2. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that corn rootworm alone causes more than $1 billion in lost revenue each year.  What would it mean to you and your family if you didn’t have access to this insecticide?
3. The EPA should follow its own registration review process to address any concerns they have about chlorpyrifos.  How would your farm look if you scrapped science and well-established procedure?
4. The EPA has concluded this will have no significant impact on farms with total annual sales of less than $750,000.  If this is you, make sure to note your size and how this would impact your family farm.

And although farmer submittals are VERY important to this process, if you’d rather sign a petition, click here.