WASHINGTON, D.C. — While a federal review of Dow AgroSciences’ Enlist 2,4-D formulation is welcomed by the chair of the Save Our Crops Coalition (SOCC), he wishes the government would take a more comprehensive approach.

Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it would evaluate Enlist on 2,4-D-tolerant corn and soybeans as a “new use” registration under the Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act.

Monsanto, meanwhile, said last week it expects to introduce
Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans and Roundup Xtend herbicide on a limited basis next year. The soybeans will have stacked trait resistance to glyphosate and dicamba herbicides and Roundup Xtend will be a combination of glyphosate and a new low volatility dicamba, the company said.

The system, while providing better and more consistent weed control and flexibility, also reduces the likelihood of off-site movement, according to Roy Fuchs, Monsanto’s global oilseeds technology lead.

SOCC is concerned about off-target damage from exposure to the herbicides 2,4-D and dicamba, said Steve Smith, who chairs it. The concern is heightened by the proposed introduction of 2,4-D- and dicamba-tolerant crops, Smith noted, adding this could lead to an increased use of the chemicals.

The coalition started earlier this year and represents thousands of farmers and growers across the country, Smith said. Experts are predicting a tenfold increase in use of 2,4-D associated with the introduction of 2,4-D tolerant corn, he added.

“Nobody has looked at these compounds as a whole piece of pie,” said Smith, also director of agriculture with Elwood, Ind.-based Red Gold. “The cumulative effect of all the deregulations coming due in the next two years will change the scene.

“If you end up with 130 million to 140 million acres of synthetic auxins floating around, no one’s looked at the cumulative effect of

SOCC would prefer the government take a broader look at synthetic auxins. In April, it formally petitioned for an environmental impact statement from the USDA and for a scientific advisory panel from the EPA. The organization is waiting for a response to its petitions.

Although the chemicals may be spread through direct drift and spray tank contamination, the primary concern to Midwest agriculture is the chemicals’ inclination to volatilize, or for their active ingredients to evaporate. The active ingredients could travel 1-2 miles from their intended target, Smith said.

Specialty farmers aren’t the only ones who could be hurt by drift of 2,4-D or dicamba, he noted.

“There’s a risk to rural homeowners and gardeners,” he said. “It could be a black eye to all of agriculture. It’s not going to look good for the industry if homeowners say, ‘If it’s killing my garden, how can these be good floating around the world?’”

Last month, Smith spent three days in Washington, D.C., meeting with USDA and EPA officials. Because of the petition, the USDA couldn’t directly discuss the case, but Smith said he made sure officials understood who the members of SOCC are.

“I wanted the decision-makers in USDA to know that these issues are not being brought up by people who traditionally oppose everything. It’s being brought up by people not opposed to stuff.
We’re mainstream agriculture,” he pointed out.

Smith said he’s pleased that Dow representatives have been involved in discussions to try to address concerns with their products. “Part of our conversation with Dow is to find solutions that are effective,” he explained. “If we can work with them to develop strategies, then we all win.”

An initial 30-day comment period on the EPA’s evaluation of Enlist ends June 22. The public may submit comments electronically at www.regulations.gov – comments may be written within the provided Web form, or may be submitted as a PDF or DOC by uploading files to the docket opened for comment.

The docket number for the new use of 2,4-D choline salt and the mix of 2,4-D choline salt and glyphosate on 2,4-D-tolerant corn is EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0835. The docket number for the new use of 2,4-D choline salt on 2,4-D-tolerant soybeans is EPA-HQ-OPP-2012-0306. The direct links to the “submit a comment” page for each docket are:

www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0835-0001

www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=EPA-HQ-OPP-2012-0306-0001