Banning Atrazine Research Paper

Should Atrazine be Banned?

Atrazine is a herbicide used primarily on sugarcane, sorghum, and corn fields to prevent the growth of weeds. Atrazine has been a reliable herbicide for over 50 years. There are no alternatives that can compare to Atrazine. Atrazine is a herbicide classified in the triazine class that is used to prevent the growth of weeds in crop fields. A herbicide is a substance that is toxic to plants and is used to kill any unwanted vegetative growth. The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is a private organization where corn growers meat to discuss the worlds corn market. The Environmental Protective Agency (EPA) is a government agency that protects the environment and the publics health. I will state why
Through these statistics you will see the prove why Atrazine increases crop yields. "...corn field trials from 1986-2005, atrazine treatments showed an average of 5.7 bushels more per acre than alternative herbicide treatments. ...sorghum trials in Kansas and Nebraska from 1986-1995 showed an 11.3 bushel/acre advantage in that crop. Production experts estimate yield advantage in sugar cane ranges from 12 to 50 percent." (Atrazine facts - protecting corn yield). If Atrazine is not applied more unwanted weeds grow taking the nutrients away from the crops. This leads to decreased crop yields. If Atrazine is applied weeds will die and all the nutrients will go to the crops resulting in higher yield rates. Another reason atrazine plays into increased crop yields is because of its safety. Atrazine also has a low risk of crop injury. Atrazine is very safe to the crop, but detrimental to the weeds. Some herbicides can cause damage to weeds and the crop. Atrazine kills weeds but keeps the crop safe. As you can see the statistics prove Atrazine increases crop yields because of its effectiveness. Some of the field trials took place for over 10 to 15
With the rising world population, we will need more food. Farmers will not be able to support the whole world with food supply. The USDA is conducting research on the cost if Atrazine is banned. "The costs of treating all surface water consumed by those living in the Midwest would be about $400 million annually. Banning atrazine would eliminate the need to incur these costs, but the costs to producers and consumers range between $517 million and $665 million." (USDA). The USDA will continue to do research. Atrazine has been the most popular herbicide by farmers for over 50 years because it works and is safe. 80 countries use this safe herbicide. In the United States 65 percent of corn and 69 percent of sorghum is treated with Atrazine. Nebraska is the top producer of corn and 77 percent of their corn is treated with Atrazine. Illinois' corn is 70 percent treated. Iowa used Atrazine on over 13.7 million acres of their own corn fields. As you can see my facts are more important than some swayed frog results. As the USDA stated if Atrazine is banned it will cost farmers and consumers up to $665 million a year. Food prices will spike in the grocery stores because farmers will have to spend more money on weed control. Water treatment would be cheaper than banning Atrazine. If they want to ban it, ban it in certain areas that are having