The EPA’s latest proposal to restrict pesticide use is causing alarm among soybean growers. The American Soybean Association’s Chief Economist Scott Gerlt says the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed pilot to protect endangered species well before years’-long reviews is so broad, it could put some producers out of business.
Gerlt says the “Vulnerable Species Pilot Project” under a court settlement could erase profit margins by requiring mitigation in areas with ranges for 27 endangered species. He says one example is in runoff controls.
Buffers and filter strips could cost as much as 100 to 200 dollars more per acre. Gerlt says USDA has also weighed in with EPA.
ASA says the EPA could expand its pilot beyond the 27 species first affected. The agency has until the end of next September to decide the program’s final scope and size.
