Why Is Atrazine Important to Today’s Farmers?
Atrazine is a key tool for farmers who are using climate friendly farming practices like no-till. Without the use of this product, many farmers would be forced to return to some level of tillage.
- If an ultra-low CELOC was implemented by EPA, 24 million acres of corn could be forced to come out of no-till farming practices.
- Higher cost, less effective herbicides would drive up production costs for farmers. The economic impact would have a more severe impact on small family farms.
- More than 400,000 U.S. corn, sorghum and sugar cane growers rely on atrazine.
- Atrazine is used for weed control on over 2/3 of U.S. corn and sorghum acres.
- Atrazine allows farmers to increase crop yields and reduce soil erosion.
- Atrazine is essential to many farmers who use no-till and conservation tillage practices.
- The loss of atrazine would have a negative impact on climate-smart, sustainable farming practices.
- Atrazine is an affordable herbicide. Losing atrazine would cost corn growers between $30 to well over $60 per acre.
- Herbicide resistance in weeds continues to be a problem, and atrazine is an important tool for herbicide resistance management.