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SOUTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
NEWS RELEASE
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, April 23, 2009
Media Contact: Brad Berven, (605) 773-4432
or (800) 228-5254
Emergency exemption approved for Avipel® seed treatment on corn in South Dakota
(Pierre, SD) --- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the South Dakota Department of Agriculture (SDDA) request for a specific emergency exemption to allow Avipel® seed treatment to be used to protect newly planted field and sweet corn seed against consumption by ring-necked pheasants. Avipel® is a non-lethal gut irritant for birds. When eaten, it results in a learned pattern of avoiding the treated seed.
According to Game, Fish, and Parks the 2008 statewide pheasants per mile (PPM) index was 9% higher than 2007 and is the highest PPM recorded in the last 45 years. These historical pheasant numbers are a result of favorable weather, quality habitat conditions, and high pheasant numbers over the past five years. With pheasant numbers approaching or matching historical highs, local areas with high pheasant numbers may experience increased instances of depredation occurring on corn fields, such as areas where quality habitat like Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres are found adjacent to or in close proximity to corn fields.
In February and March 2009, the South Dakota Department of Agriculture (SDDA) conducted an assessment of need for the use of Avipel® (anthraquinone) seed treatment products to protect newly planted corn seed against consumption by ring-necked pheasants. The assessment identified areas throughout the state where corn producers are experiencing economic loss due to seed and seedling depredation by ring-necked pheasant. The SDDA asked for corn producer input to determine yield loss information to substantiate economic losses due to ring-necked pheasant damage. For more information on the reported information, go to the SDDA website at http://www.state.sd.us/doa/das/hp-pest.htm
The Section 18 emergency exemption became effective April 7, 2009.
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