Agricultural
Resource Management Survey (ARMS) data on pest management
practices first became available in 1996 and indicate that fields
were scouted for weed control on the majority of acres planted to
corn, cotton, soybeans, and winter wheat, and that weed scouting
intensity increased during 1996-2007. With the widespread adoption
of herbicide-tolerant (HT) corn, cotton, and soybeans during
1996-2007, the use of post-emergence herbicides increased,
particularly for soybeans, while the use of pre-emergence
herbicides first declined and then leveled off, for corn and
cotton, and increased for soybeans. The percentage of winter-wheat
acres receiving pre-emergence herbicides increased slowly and
steadily during this period, while the percentage of acres
receiving post-emergence herbicides declined and then increased
somewhat.
The share of planted acres on which pesticides are rotated to
slow resistance trended downward during 1996-2007, particularly for
soybeans. This trend--along with the widespread adoption of HT
crops and the popularity of glyphosate--might explain why
glyphosate resistance is an emerging problem facing producers of
corn, cotton, and soybeans.
Changes in insect management practices are less apparent. Fields
were scouted for insect control on the majority of planted acres,
and the only discernible change over 1996-2007 occurred in
soybeans, where the share of planted acres scouted increased
slightly, perhaps because of the recent introduction of the soybean
aphid.