Document ID: EPA-HQ-OPP-2023-0154-0033
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2023-09-28T04:00Z

SAP Oral Testimony  -  Matt Holysz 
 
Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony today. My name is Matt Holysz, and I'm a corn farmer from Vicksburg Michigan where I've been farming for most of my life. I farm about 2,000 acres, 1,200 of those are corn, and about 800 of those corn acres are seed corn. In Southwest Michigan where my farm is located, we produce seed corn that is sold all over the world. We're also home to the two largest seed corn production facilities in Michigan, which are located right across the street from each other. 
 
I am very concerned that EPA relied on low quality scientific data when it proposed an ultra-low 3.4 parts per billion threshold. If this proposed revision goes through, it would effectively end the use of atrazine on my farm and on most farms  -  including more than 100,000 acres in Southwest Michigan. In order to meet the indefensible standards and pick lists, we would have to reduce atrazine use to a level that would make it ineffective for our operations. More recently - EPA's July White Paper finally took an objective, scientific look at those poor-quality studies, and we urge the SAP to adopt EPA's recommendations from that paper. 
 
As a seed corn farmer in particular, I have limited tools available. I rely on atrazine for weed control and I don't have many options in terms of chemistries that I can use in its place. If I were to lose access to atrazine, I would lose a significant amount of yield and it may even put me in a position where seed corn farming was no longer profitable. 
 
Not only is it critical to have access to atrazine for seed corn, but maintaining access to a range of tools for corn and sorghum more generally is important to preserve the effectiveness of our chemistries in the long term. Removing access to atrazine runs a real risk of increasing herbicide resistance in weeds by forcing us to use other herbicides more often. 
 
Not only has atrazine been effective on my farm, it is the most studied herbicide available with a long and proven track record of safety. Farmers are committed to using herbicides efficiently and at the lowest rates necessary for weed control. We are good stewards when it comes to our land and ensuring we can pass our farms on to future generations. 
 
For more than 60 years, atrazine has provided effective, safe low-cost, long-acting weed control for farmers. I strongly urge the Scientific Advisory Panel to adopt the recommendations from EPA's July White Paper to set a realistic threshold for atrazine use that is based on sound scientific studies.