EPA prevents use of herbicide for Missouri and Kansas farmers

PITTSBURG, Kans. — Farmers may need to find a new form of herbicide for the coming year.

The EPA is preventing the use of the Enlist One and Enlist Duo herbicides.

It will affect 10 counties across Kansas including Labette, Montgomery, Neosho and Cherokee counties in southeast Kansas. The decision was made to help protect endagered species like the “burying beetle” which are native to the area.

“First thing producers are going to need to do this year whenever they plant their soybeans, is make sure they start out with a clean field. Whether that’s through tillage or a burn-down herbicide. We highly recommend putting a pre-plant herbicide down or a pre-emerge herbicide down as they plant the soybeans or right before they plant the soybeans. And then coming back later with another post-emergence herbicide other than Enlist,” said Dale Helwig, Cherokee County Ag Extension Agent.

Five counties in Missouri are also affected by this decision — Barton, Bates, Cedar, St. Clair, and Vernon counties.

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