State bans of dicamba herbicide could increase soybean, cotton prices

Efforts to ban the herbicide [dicamba] could benefit the prices of agricultural products such as soybeans and cotton. At the same time, equities of chemical companies could face downward pressure. But no matter the outcome, the more likely winners will be non-genetically modified organics and owners of non-GMO farmland.

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[Farmers] across the grain belt’s 25 million acres of planted soybean and cotton fields aren’t united. Although many  are more productive thanks to dicamba, more cash-strapped farmers who didn’t purchase the premium seeds along are filing a joint suit with non-GMO farmers, claiming their crops have been affected by neighboring farms using the chemical. Still other farmers, against their will, feel compelled to purchase the modified seeds to protect from dicamba creep. In addition, environmentalists argue GMO seeds will encourage greater use of pesticides that can increase reproductive risks and birth defects.

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A ban would likely give further support primarily to soybeans, in addition to cotton and other affected crops, as farmers will have to find alternative means of weed elimination. Finally, non-GMO farming and demand for its produce will continue to increase despite their premium price compared with traditional crops.

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: Ban of Herbicide Could Benefit Agriculture Prices