The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published the 2022 Pesticide Data Program (PDP) Annual Summary, which shows that over 99% of the samples tested had pesticide residues below benchmark levels established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The tests were conducted on 10,665 samples from 23 commodities including fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, dairy, nuts and grains. The PDP …
Disposal of Waste Pesticides Throughout South Carolina
COLUMBIA — The South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) is offering South Carolina residents the opportunity to safely dispose of outdated, unusable or unwanted pesticides. The pesticide and chemical program is open to all private, commercial and non-commercial pesticide applicators in the state, as well as homeowners. SCDA staff will be on site to monitor pesticide collection and disposal and …
Comment Period for Cancellation of Organophosphate Pesticides Extended
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has extended the comment period for the potential cancellation of organophosphate pesticides until Sept. 25, according to the University of Georgia (UGA) Extension Vegetable Blog. Stormy Sparks, University of Georgia (UGA) Cooperative Extension vegetable entomologist, said that if organophosphates are important to your production program, growers should submit their comments to the EPA. “If organophosphates …
House Agriculture Committee Members Seek Hearing with EPA Administrator
By Frank Giles U.S. House of Representatives Agriculture Committee members are requesting a hearing with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Michael Regan to discuss the agency’s oversight of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). The law regulates the usage of farm pesticides. Republican members on the committee sent a letter to its Chairman David Scott (D-GA) to request …
Weed Management Concerns for Florida Growers
By Clint Thompson The current supply chain crisis is impacting Florida’s specialty crop producers’ ability to manage certain weed species. Peter Dittmar, University of Florida/IFAS Extension weed scientist, said certain herbicides have been hard to obtain for use this year. “One of the problems that I’ve been hearing, it’s not really a specific weed species, but it’s the availability of …