2007 Policing IRM

It’s not often that Illinois Crop is mentioned in publications such as Prairie Farmer. The March 2007 cover story included Insect Resistance Management (IRM) and complying with the structured refuge requirement for Bt Corn. Everyone was excited; any press is good, even if we were labeled the “IRM Police.” While the technology provider is ultimately responsible, we were proud to be part of the process. Inspectors and Field Services staff served as data collectors within a broad industry-led effort to ensure the long-term availability of insect-resistant products. Integrated refuge products such as Refuge in the Bag (RIB), a blend of resistant and non-resistant corn, effectively ended the need for structured refuges applied by the farmer in rows or adjacent blocks of non-resistant corn. The need for on-farm audits ended as well.