SALEM — As Oregon farm regulators move to phase out most uses of the pesticide chlorpyrifos by the end of 2023, researchers are scrambling to find alternatives.

The state Department of Agriculture last week classified chlorpyrifos as a restricted use pesticide.

Chlorpyrifos is used to control a broad spectrum of insects in more than 50 crops statewide, but studies showed it may have harmful neurological effects.

Growers say alternatives are urgently needed, but research could take one to five years per pest per crop, followed by a years-long registration process — and researchers say the state isn’t supporting them with sufficient funding.

“Coming up with new modes of action has gotten harder and harder,” said Ian Grettenberger, an entomologist at the University of California-Davis Cooperative Extension.

Grettenberger received a grant when California’s Legislature, after voting last year to take away chlorpyrifos, invested millions of dollars in researching alternatives.

Oregon, in contrast, has set aside little funding.

Silvia Rondon, Oregon State University Extension entomology specialist, recently received a $162,794 USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant to explore chlorpyrifos alternatives.

“It’s a great first step,” said Rondon.

But the money won’t last long. Rondon plans to split $162,794 five ways among team members.

On the OSU team, Rondon will focus on corn, Stuart Reitz will study onions, Christopher Adams will study pears, Navneet Kaur will study grass seed and Danielle Lightle will study mint and clover.

Some early explorations look promising.

Onion growers, for example, rely on chlorpyrifos to control maggots.

“For those of us that work with onions and garlic, that (decision) was like a — a dagger,” said Rob Wilson, director of intermountain research at the University of California’s Tulelake office.

But early research has shown treating onion seeds with neonicotinoids can prevent maggots. The seed treatments, Wilson said, are “very effective,” but they are costly and growers must plan months in advance.

This reflects a trend: “alternative” doesn’t always mean “replacement.”

Most alternatives, according to Daniel Putnam, a UC-Davis plant scientist, eat a grower’s profit margin.

Many have narrow application requirements. aSome can only be applied via irrigation, must be tilled in, are effective exclusively at low temperatures or can only be used twice annually.

For decades, the U.S. has been moving away from broad spectrum and toward targeted pesticides, which kill a narrow set of pest species.

With chlorpyrifos disappearing, scientists fear pests may develop resistance to other products.

“Using the same material again and again could cause issues with resistance,” said Rachael Long, a pest expert at UC Cooperative Extension.

One reason few alternatives exist in Oregon is because it’s a specialty crop state. Investors have a financial incentive to back pesticide research for commodities such as soybeans, but not for niche crops.

When the Oregon House voted to ban chlorpyrifos during the last session, farm groups say many members voted under the false assumption there were numerous effective alternatives.

In the 2020 short session, Jonathan Manton, a lobbyist for Mountain Grown Herbs and the Oregon Organic Coalition, citing a letter drafted by the environmental group Friends of the Earth, told legislators there were already 67 safer pesticides available for Christmas trees, 178 for apple trees and 98 for turf and grass seed.

A third-generation farmer who testified, Brenda Frketich, said she later talked to Manton, traced citations, called 39 researchers, and to date, still hasn’t obtained that list of alternatives.

Manton told the Capital Press Monday that he obtained the letter from a previous Oregon Legislative Information System, or OLIS, posting, that he did not know the letter’s origins at the time and did not verify its accuracy.

The letter, obtained by the Capital Press through OLIS and reviewed by the Oregon Farm Bureau, contains multiple errors, including duplicated names among the signers.

“It was disheartened this letter had so much weight,” said Frketich.

The bill passed in the Oregon House and stalled in the Senate during the Republican walkout. ODA ultimately took charge, crafting a phaseout plan.

Frketich grows hazelnuts and grass seed. The Oregon Seed Council projects that without chlorpyrifos, seed producers could experience a 40% loss, costing the industry $160 million.

Agricultural leaders say farmers should urge their legislators and state agencies to fund research into alternatives.

Silvia Rondon, Oregon State University professor and Extension entomology specialist, encourages growers to contact her to share their experiences and insights as she leads a research team to find alternatives to chlorpyrifos.

You can reach her at: silvia.rondon@oregonstate.edu or 541-314-3181.