Over the past two weeks, ASA officers including President Ray Gaesser, Treasurer Richard Wilkins and Vice President Kevin Hoyer, testified on behalf of ASA at a series of Environmental Protection Agency listening sessions on pollinator health issues for stakeholders in the agriculture industry. ASA's comments were part of a larger effort to showcase the specific ways in which neonicotinoid seed treatments are beneficial in particular growing regions across soybean country. Following those listening sessions, ASA continues to urge those farmers with direct, tangible success stories regarding the use of neonicotinoid seed treatments to submit those examples to EPA, and detail to the agency the ways this technology has been beneficial in their soybean operations.

Currently, there are two opportunities for ASA members to comment on this issue. First, comments may be submitted as part of the EPA's two listening sessions on neonicotinoids and pollinator health (held Nov. 11 and Nov. 17). Those comments are due Nov. 24 and may be submitted here. Additionally, comments on the EPA's analysis of the yield benefits of neonicotinoid seed treatments may be submitted online on or before Dec. 22. Those comments may be submitted here.

Again, your two options to submit comments on the beneficial use of neonicotinoid seed treatments in soybean operations are as follows:

1. As part of the EPA's listening sessions on pollinator health (Due Monday, Nov. 24):

2. In response to the call for comment on EPA's analysis of the benefits of neonicotinoids to soybean yield (Due Monday, Dec. 22).