Off Balance

Earning kudos from environmentalists, the Michigan Department of Agriculture has banned the use of Balance Pro on the state's 2.2 million acres of corn fields. Balance Pro is a powerful herbicide and a possible carcinogen that has contaminated surface and groundwater in other states, in some cases lingering in waterways 10 months after a single application. The Michigan decision marks another blow by the Great Lakes states to the pesticide and its maker, Bayer CropScience; last year, Wisconsin approved Balance Pro, but with so many restrictions Bayer decided it wasn't worth selling it there. Dave Dempsey, policy advisor for the Michigan Environmental Council, praised the move, calling it "one of the few times I've seen the Ag Department act in a precautionary way."