Herbicide atrazine gains further support according to a new study

A recent study gives support for allowing farmers to keep on using the popular yet controversial herbicide atrazine. An atrazine ban would cost between 21,000 and 48,000 jobs from corn production losses alone, according to the study from University of Chicago economist Don Coursey.

Atrazine has come under scrutiny from national media organizations and longtime opponents of the product. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency re-registered it in 2006. It began an unscheduled review in 2009, following a media report and claims from anti-atrazine groups.

Manufacturers of the herbicide and farmers who use it have been vigorous in its defense, saying the science supports its continued safe use. Courseys study further supports their claims by providing evidence to the economic impact, as he estimates atrazine adds between $2.3 billion and $5 billion in value to corn. Additional value to other crops such as sorghum and sugar cane increase that total, Coursey said.

Coursey said the wide range in estimates is because a product has never been banned that so many depend on and for which suitable replacements have a variety of prices and application regimes. The agricultural sector could experience a 2.6 percentage growth in unemployment and the individual corn farmers could see their costs increase as high as $58 per acre, Coursey said.

The debate over atrazine is sure to continue as the EPA review takes place. So far, it seems to have withstood all the criticism.