USD releases 2014 Chemical Use Data for Corn and Fall Potatoes

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) published the 2014 Agricultural Chemical Use survey data for corn and fall potatoes.

The information released includes on-farm fertilizer use, pesticide use, and pest management practices for these crops for the 2014 crop year, beginning after the 2013 harvest and ending after the 2014 harvest.

Key findings for fall potatoes include:

• As fertilizers, potato growers applied nitrogen to 99 percent and phosphate to 97 percent of planted fall potato acres, followed by potash at 90 percent.
• Farmers applied fungicides to 96 percent of potato planted acres, more than herbicides (91 percent) and insecticides (89 percent)
• Mitribuzin, the most widely applied active ingredient, is an herbicide that was applied to 75 percent of planted fall potato acres. The next most widely applied ingredients (chlorothalonil and mancozeb) are both fungicides.

NASS collected data in fall 2014 from potato producers in 8 states representing 88 per cent of the 936,900 acres planted to fall potatoes.