Wheat at a local elevator is under embargo until tests confirm pesticide residues meet tolerances set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
    The embargo currently affects Scoular Grain in Wellington, the Farmers Coop Elevator Company in Garden Plain, and ADM in Hutchinson, as well as 20 fields covering 1,545 acres in south-central Kansas, according to an announcement by the Kansas Department of Agriculture Tuesday afternoon.
    "This is entirely precautionary to protect the integrity of Kansas wheat," said Secretary of Agriculture Adrian Polansky.  "We chose this course to minimize economic harm to Kansas farmers while we verify that residue levels are what they need to be."
    At question are late applications of Quilt, a fungicide that requires a 45-day waiting period between application and harvest.  Its active ingredients have a low toxicity in humans.  However, residue from Quilt's active ingredients must not exceed limits established by EPA and FDA.
    State officials say if the wheat plants were at the appropriate stage of development when Quilt was applied, then residues are likely within the established tolerances.
    The KDA has collected field samples to test for residue, and results could be available as early as this afternoon. 
    Scoular Grain officials say Quilt is not sold from their facility, but is commonly sold to farmers because wheat is susceptible to a rust, which is a type of fungus, and can be effectively treated with Quilt. 
    “This was an isolated incident and we don’t expect it to effect our harvest,” said Schoular Grain Facility Manager Phil VanCourt.  “Harvest seems to be progressing well in the mean time, and we’re excited to hear of some very good yields in the area.”
    VanCourt said area farmers were able to get a lot of cutting done yesterday and he expects the same to continue across the county today.
    “It’s great we’ve avoided some of these late chances of rain,” he said.
    The Kansas Department of Health and Environment issued the first embargoes for wheat fields in Butler, Cowley, Harper, Kingman, Reno, Sedgwick and Sumner counties as well as the three grain facilities including Schoular Grain on Tuesday to keep the grain from moving or being commingled with other grain until it can be tested.
    The department is also looking at late Quilt applications on 5,999 acres in eight more counties:  Ellis, Gove, Jefferson, Logan, Rawlins, Sheridan, Thomas and Trego.
    Samples have also been collected from fields in northwest Kansas, where Quilt applications were documented as late as the first week of June.
    "We've been consulting with EPA and FDA, and I feel confident we're doing the right thing," Polansky said.  "As the nation's leading wheat producing state, it's important we do what we can to protect the reputation and integrity of our wheat supply."