The KFB Legal Foundation is working with County Farm Bureaus to engage their locally elected government bodies to help keep a key farming tool in the toolbox.

A group of Texas trial lawyers are making the rounds to local governments in Kansas, shopping participation in a class action lawsuit that would essentially halt the use of atrazine, commonly used on corn, grain sorghum, sugar cane and residential lawns.

The lawsuit is based on the notion that acceptable levels of the atrazine in drinking water are not adequate. This contention flies in the face of extensive science-based research and subsequent regulation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The consensus from the scientific and the government regulatory community in the U.S. is that atrazine is safe at the limits established by the EPA. For no-till systems, atrazine is one of the most widely used and effective herbicides. No-till farming keeps the soil in place, increases water infiltration and improves soil quality. Loss of atrazine as a tool in no-till farming would be a step backwards for efficient and safe crop production in an environmentally conscious manner.

KFB Legal Foundation Director Mike Irvin has some tools and advice for County FBs. Contact him at irvinm@kfb.org or (785) 587-6621.

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