{"id":25628,"date":"2019-09-20T00:00:56","date_gmt":"2019-09-20T04:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=25628"},"modified":"2019-09-19T22:50:59","modified_gmt":"2019-09-20T02:50:59","slug":"toxic-pesticides-found-again-to-yield-no-increase-in-productivity-or-economic-benefit-for-farmers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2019\/09\/toxic-pesticides-found-again-to-yield-no-increase-in-productivity-or-economic-benefit-for-farmers\/","title":{"rendered":"Toxic Pesticides Found, Again, to Yield No Increase in Productivity or Economic Benefit for Farmers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Pesticide-coated (or treated) seeds.<\/p><\/div>\n

(Beyond Pesticides<\/em>, September 20, 2019) The actual utility of pesticides to achieve their purported goals is an under-recognized failing of the regulatory review of pesticide compounds for use. A study published in Scientific Reports<\/em> now exposes the faulty assumptions<\/a> underlying the use of neonicotinoids<\/a> \u2014 the most widely used category of insecticides worldwide. The study demonstrates that use of neonicotinoids (neonics) to treat seeds \u2014 a very common use of these pesticides \u2014 actually provides negligible benefits to soybean farmers<\/a> in terms of yield and overall economic benefit. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should take notice, and consider that efficacy ought to have a role in the agency\u2019s evaluation of pesticides for registration.<\/p>\n

Neonicotinoids are systemic pesticides<\/a> that move through a plant\u2019s vascular system and are expressed in pollen, nectar, and guttation droplets (drops of sap exuded on the tips or edges of leaves of some vascular plants). They can also persist in the environment<\/a> \u2014 in soil and water \u2014 for extended periods. Neonics are applied to seed, as well as to crop soils and to plant foliage. Corn and soybean seed treatments represent the largest uses<\/a> of neonics in the U.S.: for somewhere between 34% and 50+% of the soybean crop and for nearly all field corn. This contrasts dramatically<\/a> with metrics from the decade prior to the introduction of neonics to the marketplace, when a mere 5% of soybean acreage was treated with insecticides. The pesticide is also applied liberally to cotton, oilseed rape, sugar beet, vegetable, and pome, stone, and citrus fruit crops.<\/p>\n

Neonicotinoids have come under intensive scrutiny<\/a> in the past decade because of their persistence in the soil, ability to leach into the environment, high water solubility, and potential negative health implications for non-target organisms such as pollinators \u2014 especially bees of all sorts \u2014 as well as<\/a> butterflies, bats, and birds.\u00a0Indeed, a recent Science<\/em> publication<\/a> from researchers in Canada demonstrates that \u201clow-level neonic exposure may delay the migrations of songbirds and harm their chances of mating.\u201d Beyond Pesticides\u2019 video, Seeds That Poison,<\/a> offers a succinct primer on the dangers of neonic-coated seeds.<\/p>\n

The subject study examined<\/a> a variety of factors in determining neonic efficacy, including weather patterns, soil pH, precipitation, pest abundance and timing, and yield for three experimental groups: soybeans treated with fungicides only, those treated with fungicides and neonicotinoids, and an untreated control group. Despite broad use, the practice of using fungicide-plus neonicotinoid seed treatment appears to have negligible benefit for most soybean producers. The researchers write<\/a>, \u201cThese results demonstrate that the current widespread prophylactic use of NST [neonicotinoid seed treatment] in the key soybean-producing areas of the U.S. should be re-evaluated by producers and regulators alike.\u201d<\/p>\n

This new research<\/a> finding underscores Beyond Pesticides\u2019 advocacy<\/a> against neonic seed treatment, and duplicates some of the findings of a 2014 EPA report,<\/a> which said that use of treated soybean seed provided little-to-no overall benefit in controlling insects or improving yield or quality in soybean production. The researchers in this recent study analyze data<\/a> across 14 soybean-producing states and a 12-year period, and conclude that not only does their investigation provide no empirical evidence for the use of neonic-coated seeds, but also, beyond that, the data suggest that the approach yields \u201clittle to zero net benefit in most cases.\u201d<\/p>\n

Co-authors cite<\/a> the lack of observed pest management benefits of planting treated seeds, and note that there is a disconnect between perceived crop vulnerability and neonicotinoid utility: \u201cthroughout most soybean-producing regions of the U.S., the period of pest protection provided by [use of neonic-treated seeds] does not align with [the presence of] economically significant pest populations. Absent economic infestations of pests, there is no opportunity for this plant protection strategy to provide benefit to most producers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Relative to the benefits of neonics for growers, the researchers cite other recent studies<\/a> that have reported \u201cweak relationships between NST use and effectiveness in preserving crop yield.\u201d They continue: \u201cA recent multi-state study of management tactics for the key pest in the [Midwest] region, the soybean aphid . . . demonstrated that crop yield benefits and overall economic returns were marginally affected by NST.\u201d<\/p>\n

The study did not address an additional issue inherent in the question of efficacy: because of the well-documented issue of resistance that develops in chemical-intensive monocultural agriculture<\/a>, what may be effective in one growing season is unlikely to work in subsequent years because of the resistance that inevitably develops in the target organism.<\/p>\n

The researchers also point to<\/a> one of the alarming and infamous impacts of neonics: \u201cAside from the fact that a farmer may be incurring unnecessary input costs, a growing body of research suggests that the use of NST in this manner can lead to a host of negative effects upon non-target organisms. It has been reported that neonicotinoids are increasingly detected in terrestrial and aquatic environments. Furthermore, studies in the U.S. and elsewhere have evaluated impacts of neonicotinoid on nontarget organisms such as honey bees\u00a0wild bees, monarch butterflies, vertebrates, terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates,\u00a0and overall declines in ecosystem function.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additionally, they note that the critical soybean-producing states represented in their study, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota, rank 3rd<\/sup>, 4th<\/sup>, and 5th<\/sup>, respectively, in numbers of honey bee colonies \u2014 many of those migratory colonies used for pollination of key fruit and nut crops. The co-authors conclude<\/a>, \u201cThis presents a key intersection between NST exposure and our principal managed pollinator species with demonstrated sensitivity to this class of compounds.\u201d<\/p>\n

This research adds to the evidence of EPA\u2019s inadequate registration process for pesticides: the agency has interpreted the foundational legislation for pesticide registration \u2014 the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) \u2014 as not requiring it to conduct review of pesticide efficacy. Presumably, efficacy would be considered a benefit. It strains credulity to maintain that the FIFRA mandate \u2014 to evaluate the risks of pesticide use compared with any of its benefits \u2014 can be fulfilled without any assessment of the benefit of the use of a pesticide might be. (See EPA assertion of neonic seed treatment \u201cbenefits\u201d here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

As noted in May 2018 by Beyond Pesticides\u2019 Daily News Blog<\/a>, \u201cEPA does not review manufacturer data on pesticide efficacy, even though the statutory registration standard requires weighing the risks of pesticides against their benefits. Without efficacy information, the real benefits of a pesticide are unknown, and the reasonableness of pesticide use cannot be assessed. The lack of efficacy data review results in escalating and predictable insect and weed resistance, unnecessarily increases in pesticide use, and putting farmers at risk of crop loss and economic damage. The only instance in which EPA evaluates pesticide efficacy is as a part of public health (not agricultural) pesticide registrations, and even this is without public disclosure or opportunity for comment.\u201d<\/p>\n

EPA has taken the position, viewed as irresponsible by advocates, that the marketplace determines efficacy, and that farmers (and consumers) would abandon pesticide products if they did not work. But in real life, absent meaningful independent assessment, farmers use pesticide products on huge swaths of cropland largely on the basis of agrochemical marketing claims. This situation is all the more disturbing because neonics, and many other pesticides, are toxic substances that can cause harmful effects<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Contrast with EPA\u2019s negligence on the \u201cefficacy front\u201d what the Organic Foods Production Act mandates for all organically produced foods: that synthetic a substance or input \u201capproved for organic production\u201d be deemed essential for organic productivity<\/em>. This criterion is considered in addition to any adverse effects of a subject substance and its compatibility with organic agriculture.<\/p>\n

The transition to organic agriculture<\/a>, land management<\/a>, and nontoxic or least-toxic pest control strategies<\/a>, which would obviate issues of pesticide efficacy, is the task at hand. Evidence continues to grow: organic, regenerative, and ecologically based farming approaches can generate not only healthier soils and crops, but also, competitive yields<\/a> compared to those of conventional, chemical agriculture. A recent study from American Farmland Trust<\/a> (AFT) shows that such \u201chealthy soil\u201d practices also generate real ROI \u2014 return on investment.<\/p>\n

The AFT research project followed two corn and soybean farmers (from Illinois and Ohio), a New York farmer growing sweet corn, alfalfa, and corn for silage or grain, and a California almond grower over a number of years. All of them employed various regenerative practices, such as crop rotation, no-till, cover cropping, and composting that garnered soil and environmental benefits, including average reductions of: 54% in nitrogen losses; 81% in phosphorous losses; 85% in sediment losses; and 379% in total greenhouse gases from the test fields. Beyond those outcomes, the stellar economic results included: average increased yields of 12%; average net income increase of $42 per acre per year (with a whopping average increase for the almond grower of $657 per acre per year); and ROI ranging from 35% to 343%. Those are numbers with which any farmer would be thrilled.<\/p>\n

To help move the nation and world to organic and regenerative approaches that benefit producers, consumers, and the environment, follow Beyond Pesticides\u2019 coverage of organics<\/a>; engage with its Action of the Week<\/a>; check out its Tools for Change;<\/a> and consider joining the organization<\/a> as one more way to advocate for the transition away from chemical agriculture. A better, less-toxic world is possible.<\/p>\n

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.<\/em><\/p>\n

Source: https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-019-47442-8<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Beyond Pesticides, September 20, 2019) The actual utility of pesticides to achieve their purported goals is an under-recognized failing of the regulatory review of pesticide compounds for use. A study published in Scientific Reports now exposes the faulty assumptions underlying the use of neonicotinoids \u2014 the most widely used category of insecticides worldwide. The study demonstrates that use of neonicotinoids (neonics) to treat seeds \u2014 a very common use of these pesticides \u2014 actually provides negligible benefits to soybean farmers in terms of yield and overall economic benefit. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should take notice, and consider that efficacy ought to have a role in the agency\u2019s evaluation of pesticides for registration. Neonicotinoids are systemic pesticides that move through a plant\u2019s vascular system and are expressed in pollen, nectar, and guttation droplets (drops of sap exuded on the tips or edges of leaves of some vascular plants). They can also persist in the environment \u2014 in soil and water \u2014 for extended periods. Neonics are applied to seed, as well as to crop soils and to plant foliage. Corn and soybean seed treatments represent the largest uses of neonics in the U.S.: for somewhere between 34% and 50+% […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[249,328,120,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-agriculture","category-neonicotinoids","category-resistance","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nToxic Pesticides Found, Again, to Yield No Increase in Productivity or Economic Benefit for Farmers - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2019\/09\/toxic-pesticides-found-again-to-yield-no-increase-in-productivity-or-economic-benefit-for-farmers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Toxic Pesticides Found, Again, to Yield No Increase in Productivity or Economic Benefit for Farmers - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"(Beyond Pesticides, September 20, 2019) The actual utility of pesticides to achieve their purported goals is an under-recognized failing of the regulatory review of pesticide compounds for use. A study published in Scientific Reports now exposes the faulty assumptions underlying the use of neonicotinoids \u2014 the most widely used category of insecticides worldwide. The study demonstrates that use of neonicotinoids (neonics) to treat seeds \u2014 a very common use of these pesticides \u2014 actually provides negligible benefits to soybean farmers in terms of yield and overall economic benefit. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should take notice, and consider that efficacy ought to have a role in the agency\u2019s evaluation of pesticides for registration. Neonicotinoids are systemic pesticides that move through a plant\u2019s vascular system and are expressed in pollen, nectar, and guttation droplets (drops of sap exuded on the tips or edges of leaves of some vascular plants). They can also persist in the environment \u2014 in soil and water \u2014 for extended periods. Neonics are applied to seed, as well as to crop soils and to plant foliage. 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A study published in Scientific Reports now exposes the faulty assumptions underlying the use of neonicotinoids \u2014 the most widely used category of insecticides worldwide. The study demonstrates that use of neonicotinoids (neonics) to treat seeds \u2014 a very common use of these pesticides \u2014 actually provides negligible benefits to soybean farmers in terms of yield and overall economic benefit. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should take notice, and consider that efficacy ought to have a role in the agency\u2019s evaluation of pesticides for registration. Neonicotinoids are systemic pesticides that move through a plant\u2019s vascular system and are expressed in pollen, nectar, and guttation droplets (drops of sap exuded on the tips or edges of leaves of some vascular plants). They can also persist in the environment \u2014 in soil and water \u2014 for extended periods. Neonics are applied to seed, as well as to crop soils and to plant foliage. Corn and soybean seed treatments represent the largest uses of neonics in the U.S.: for somewhere between 34% and 50+% […]","og_url":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2019\/09\/toxic-pesticides-found-again-to-yield-no-increase-in-productivity-or-economic-benefit-for-farmers\/","og_site_name":"Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/beyondpesticides","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/beyondpesticides\/","article_published_time":"2019-09-20T04:00:56+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/images-2.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Beyond Pesticides","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ByondPesticides","twitter_site":"@ByondPesticides","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Beyond Pesticides","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2019\/09\/toxic-pesticides-found-again-to-yield-no-increase-in-productivity-or-economic-benefit-for-farmers\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2019\/09\/toxic-pesticides-found-again-to-yield-no-increase-in-productivity-or-economic-benefit-for-farmers\/"},"author":{"name":"Beyond Pesticides","@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/#\/schema\/person\/1b5c0a0981b549cc5b628770073031f4"},"headline":"Toxic Pesticides Found, Again, to Yield No Increase in Productivity or Economic Benefit for Farmers","datePublished":"2019-09-20T04:00:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2019\/09\/toxic-pesticides-found-again-to-yield-no-increase-in-productivity-or-economic-benefit-for-farmers\/"},"wordCount":1566,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2019\/09\/toxic-pesticides-found-again-to-yield-no-increase-in-productivity-or-economic-benefit-for-farmers\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/images-2.jpg","articleSection":["Agriculture","neonicotinoids","Resistance"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2019\/09\/toxic-pesticides-found-again-to-yield-no-increase-in-productivity-or-economic-benefit-for-farmers\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2019\/09\/toxic-pesticides-found-again-to-yield-no-increase-in-productivity-or-economic-benefit-for-farmers\/","url":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2019\/09\/toxic-pesticides-found-again-to-yield-no-increase-in-productivity-or-economic-benefit-for-farmers\/","name":"Toxic Pesticides Found, Again, to Yield No Increase in Productivity or Economic Benefit for Farmers - 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The founders, who established Beyond Pesticides (originally as National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides) as a nonprofit membership organization in 1981, felt that without the existence of such an organized, national network, local, state and national pesticide policy would become, under chemical industry pressure, increasingly unresponsive to public health and environmental concerns. Beyond Pesticides believes that people must have a voice in decisions that affect them directly. We believe decisions should not be made for us by chemical companies or by decision-makers who either do not have all of the facts or refuse to consider them. Learn more about our work, read A Year in Review\u20142021, our accomplishments are your victories! Beyond Pesticides seeks to protect healthy air, water, land, and food for ourselves and future generations. By forging ties with governments, nonprofits, and people who rely on these natural resources, we reduce the need for unnecessary pesticide use and protect public health and the environment. Beyond Pesticides provides hands-on services to the public and supports local action by: identifying and interpreting hazards; and, designing safe pest management programs. With the information provided by Beyond Pesticides, people may not only be able to make informed choices and adopt practices that protect themselves and their families from unnecessary exposure to pesticides, but they will be able to effect changes on community-wide pest management decisions and policies that govern pesticide use, such as pesticide uses in parks, schools, for community insect control and along roadsides. Beyond Pesticides believes that people must have a voice in decisions which affect them directly.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/beyondpesticides\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/beyondpesticides\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/beyond-pesticides\/","https:\/\/x.com\/ByondPesticides","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/bpncamp\/"],"url":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/author\/beyond-pesticides\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25628","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25628"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25628\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25661,"href":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25628\/revisions\/25661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}