Title: Removal of pesticide Temik means trouble for cotton industry - News - Lubbock Avalanche-Journal - Lubbock, TX
Headings: Removal of pesticide Temik means trouble for cotton industry
Removal of pesticide Temik means trouble for cotton industry
Content: “There is nothing that can compete with Temik today,” said Kerry Siders, AgriLife Extension integrated pest management agent for Cochran and Hockley counties. “ I don’t think people realize it’s going to be a major blow to the cotton industry.” According to the EPA, after conducting a new risk assessment of the insecticide this year, the agency found the product no longer met food safety standards and could bring health problems to young children. In 2007, Boyne said his company finished the last stage of re-registration, but recent studies showed there were risks of ingesting the chemical through the groundwater or the food supply. Higher than normal levels of aldicarb may cause sweating, nausea, dizziness and blurred vision, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea, according to the EPA. Bayer CropScience did not agree with EPA, Boyne said, but it decided to respect the EPA’s decision. The agreement with EPA does not make Temik a food safety concern, and in the 40 years Temik has been available, there were no problems when the product was used correctly, he said. As it phases out the production and use of Temik, Bayer CropScience also agreed to change product labels to reduce the amount of Temik applied per acre. Jason Woodward, an AgriLife Extension plant pathologist, said farmers apply Temik while planting their crop to fend off nematodes, which infect roots and keep the plant from taking in nutrients and water. The microscopic worms reproduce very quickly and cause stunting, reduction in fruit, slower growth and, ultimately, failed acres, he said.