BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Farmers are looking for answers following the phase-out of a popular class of pesticides.
This spring, Vermont passed a law banning neonicotinoid pesticides due to their often devastating impact on pollinators and other wildlife.
That leaves farmers with just a few years to find alternatives, and some worry they won’t come in time. When the ban passed, Richard Nelson of Nelson Farms took it personally.
“It’s an attack on the dairy community in the state of Vermont. That’s exactly what went through my mind,” said Nelson.
The Irasburg farmer has relied on seeds treated with neonicotinoids for decades – as have many Vermont farmers. They say the seeds increase their crop yield and put their products on the map.
“The world market now is demanding that we’re bigger, faster, smarter,” said Nelson.
Now, Nelson has until January 1, 2029, to sow the seeds of change. He’s not optimistic.
“Without neonics, you won’t fill one of these books with options. We’ll be lucky to have half a dozen options,” he said.
At Cornell University, researchers like Alejandro Calixto have spent years studying alternatives to neonic-treated seeds.
New York also has until 2029 to phase them out under its Birds and Bees Protection Act passed last year.
“[It] really opened up possibility for us in academia and working in extension to educate the growers about past the race and how to maximize their crop and their money,” said Calixto.
One option they’re considering: is methyl jasmonate – an organic compound that plays a role in plant growth regulation. Calixto says it’s created pest resistance in test plants.
“It does provide these like activating the immune response by the plant or the seed and it does provide protection to the seed,” he said.
The University of Vermont is collaborating with Cornell to find solutions. UVM Agronomist Heather Darby says that’s led them to alternatives like diamide — another insecticide that’s showing promise.
“We’re all trying to work together and you know, figure out best options and management with an integrated approach for the farmers,” said Darby.
Darby says doing so as soon as possible is important to support farmers through the transition.
“Just being able to keep farmers and food close for us, I think is a really critical thing that we should be supporting and thinking about for all of our sort of long term,” she said.
Whether seed companies will heed the research and adapt products remains to be seen.
Nelson is wary, but Calixto says it’s essential if they want to maintain their customer base.
“It’s not like there are no alternatives, there are alternatives. And if they’re willing to help the growers, if they’re really interested in the growers, they should make those alternatives available,” said Calixto.
Researchers point out that there will be exemptions on neonic-treated seeds for farmers who can prove a significant need and meet several conditions on use.