US: Veg coalition urges study of new Dow, Monsanto seeds

A coalition of vegetable growers is calling on US regulators to study a new generation of crops developed by Dow Chemical and Monsanto.

The coalition is concerned that crops are herbicide resistant and will lead to use of older herbicides which could then drift onto other fields where the crops are not cultivated.

The coalition, Save Our Crops, filed their petition with the USDA and the Environmental Protection Agency. The coalition is something of a force to be reckoned with, containing over 2,000 members, including representatives from Red Gold and Seneca Foods, which produces for Green Giant.

The new crops are an alternative to seeds that tolerate Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, to which some weeds are now resistant. Dow would be first to market if its corn, which is tolerant to the older herbicide 2,4-D, gets USDA approval before planting next year.

The crop coalition say such herbicides can drift and "have proven to be America’s most dangerous herbicides for non-target plant damage."

Dow and Monsanto are developing new formulations of 2,4D and dicamba, with which they intend to address these concerns.

Dow’s new 2,4-D reduces by at least 90 percent the chemical’s tendency to be absorbed into the air and drift, Kenda Resler Friend, a spokeswoman for the Midland, Mich.-based company said. The herbicide is already approved by EPA for corn, and an additional USDA evaluation of the crop by the USDA is "unnecessary," she said.

Dow expects its Enlist system, including 2,4-D and related crops, will generate more than $1 billion in earnings as farmers look for ways to control weeds that are no longer killed by glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup. The number of weed-resistant acres in the U.S. rose by 25 percent in the past year, the company said.

Monsanto is working with an advisory council, including growers of vegetables and other specialty crops, to identify issues, Kelli Powers, a spokeswoman for the St. Louis-based company, said in an e-mail. Monsanto will take steps to ensure dicamba is used responsibly, she said.