Penn State urges farmers to report Midash Forte usage

By Blake Jackson

Penn State Extension has recently been alerted to an issue concerning Midash Forte, an imidacloprid-based insecticide manufactured by Sharda USA, LLC.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture has issued a stop sale order for this product following the discovery of contamination in lot #TX433. The affected batch was found to contain the herbicides triclopyr and, in some cases, 2,4-D.

Midash Forte is commonly used in Pennsylvania for various horticultural crops, including pome and stone fruits, as well as vegetables and small fruits.

According to Penn State Tree Fruit Entomologist Dr. Greg Krawczyk, the likelihood of tree fruit producers using this product at this time of year is low, which minimizes the risk of orchard damage from contaminated batches.

However, producers involved in other types of agriculture, such as vegetables, small fruits, or tobacco where contamination issues were initially reported may still be using this product.

If you have purchased Midash Forte, it is recommended to halt its use until you can verify the batch code of your product. To check if your product is affected, locate the batch code on the container.

Batch #TX433 is the only one currently reported as contaminated. While Sharda USA believes that this contaminated batch may not have been sold outside of Georgia or widely across other batches, it is advisable for producers to confirm the safety of their products before resuming use.

For inquiries about batch codes other than #TX433, or if you have concerns about the product, please contact Sharon Gunning, Director of Supply Chain/Operations at Sharda USA, at +1-610-350-6930 or via email at sgunning@shardaintl.com.

Penn State Extension is seeking information from producers who use Midash Forte or other Sharda USA products, including the crops it was applied to and the source of purchase.

Please reach out to Daniel Weber at daniel.weber@psu.edu or call +1-717-334-6271 to report your usage and any concerns.

Photo Credit: gettyimages-fertnig