Less than six weeks after New York surrendered to campaigners and banned a group of insecticides , with a lengthy track record of healthy, productive use,  , Vermont then faces a similar choice. Gov. Instead of relying on New York’s poor case, Phil Scott has the right to reject the policy.
House Bill , H. 706, a around graphite- copy of New York ‘s , legislation,  , sailed through Vermont’s legislature with much debate and unsatisfactory opportunity for the state’s farmers to measure in. The bill would outlaw the use of pesticides ( “neonics,” a class of insecticides used as seed surfaces, which are extremely expensive and target only the parasites that are attacking plants, especially hard-to-reach underground pests like the seedcorn maggot.  , Neonics have saved , up to 71 % of producers ‘ vegetables worldwide.
The act is then headed for the governor’s office. If signed, it would destroy Vermont’s gardening areas.  , Farmers apply neonic- covered seeds for Vermont ‘s , 90, 000 acres , of , corn , used to serve most of the country’s 116, 000 , cheese cows, as well as on turfgrasses, fruits, vegetables, and elegant crops.
Vermont landowners would lose out on a neonic-driven aggressive advantage over those in New York ( and, of course, they would be handicapped in comparison to farmers elsewhere in the region and country ) if the neonic ban were to begin in 2029, the same year New York’s policy would start to take effect.
The government needs to recognize the seriousness of this oversight in the legislature.
The country’s largest agriculture industry section, cheese, would instantly feel the pain, unfortunately because of Vermont’s commitment to sustainable gardening. Its cheese farmers directly raise the majority of their individual corn and grain crops to supply their dairy cows. They therefore fertilize their crops with cow dung and maintain their soils using special soil conservation techniques like cover-cropping and climate-friendly, no-till farming.
These highly sustainable farming techniques not only benefit the environment, but they also draw seedcorn maggots, a parasite that can destroy fields and cause significant produce losses. This parasite attacks wheat and soy seeds and devours them before they can grow, despite the fact that neons-treated seeds are extremely effective at containing seedcorn maggots. Diamide- treated grains are touted as an insecticide option to protect against seedcorn maggots, but they are far less efficient and are  , quad the cost , of neonic- treated seeds.
If, as in New York, neonics are banned or curtailed, Vermont’s dairy farmers will suffer a competitive disadvantage compared to 48 other U. S. states that can produce higher yields thanks to neonics. Moreover, New York, the nation’s fifth- largest dairy producer, may snap up what little non- neonic treated corn and soybean seed is available between the two states, leaving Vermont’s dairy farmers with less- productive, lower- yield crop varieties.
Vermont dairy farmers shared and learned that they would have to buy the feed from a different source, which would greatly increase the cost of their milk production and put a strain on their ability to survive in the marketplace.
Additional economic effects are present. Roughly 85 % of Vermont’s 2.53 billion pounds of milk , produced , annually is , shipped , to other parts of the nation for , cheese, ice cream, butter, and other dairy products. Therefore, Vermont dairy producers must compete with numerous out-of-state milk producers when selling their milk. Higher crop input costs, and worst-case, catastrophic losses caused by pests like seedcorn maggots, will at best force Vermont’s dairy farmers to accept contracts that other state-based neonic-using farmers would be happy to take over.
Vermont’s iconic dairy food companies, such as Cabot Creamery and Ben &, Jerry’s, would also be severely affected by a ban on neonics. Prices for these Vermont-branded foods will rise because these brands are either owned by or largely supplied by Vermont’s dairy farmers, who would have to choose between losing their source of cattle feed and tripling their crop protection costs. Lower market shares are correlated with higher prices.
If the situation becomes sufficiently dire, Vermont’s taxpayers will have to prop up the conventional dairy industry, as they did last year when they , spent ,$ 6.9 million to save the state’s organic dairy growers. Organic milk , accounts , for only 7 % of dairy production in the state, so imagine the cost of propping up the conventional dairy industry, which , represents , the other 93 % of milk production.
One of Vermont’s most crucial tools, the neonics, will be eliminated, and bad science leads to bad policy. Simply put, it’s up to the individual to cover the costs.
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Does Scott , want to imperil his constituents ‘ jobs and the state’s iconic dairy industry? Has n’t the food and agriculture industry  , lost enough , from last year’s flooding and late season freeze?
Instead of acquiescing to New York’s governor, Scott should veto this bill. Kathy Hochul’s ill- considered example. Thereby, he would be supporting Vermont’s farmers and maintaining the competitiveness and viability of the state’s dairy industry.
Henry I.  , Miller, a physician and molecular biologist, is the Glenn Swogger distinguished fellow at the , American Council on Science and Health. He was the founding director of the U. S. FDA’s Office of Biotechnology.  ,
