Half way through the year, complaints about the weed killer dicamba are increasing. This could mean efforts to stop the chemical from drifting across property lines aren’t working.
The Office of the Indiana State Chemist (OISC) received almost 70 complaints about dicamba so far this year. That’s up from roughly 40 complaints at the same time last year — which was already exceptionally high.
State Chemist Pesticide Administrator Dave Scott says in 2017 new dicamba products came on the market along with types of dicamba-resistant soybeans. He says farmers with tolerant soybeans were spraying dicamba that would drift and harm non-resistant soybeans.
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Scott says dicamba can harm unprotected soybeans in a number of ways — anything from stunting the growth of the plant to killing it. He says it’s too early to tell exactly what’s caused the increase. The OISC still needs to investigate many of this year’s complaints.
“I can’t tell you if the additional restrictions have failed, I can’t tell you if these incidences are applicator negligence,” he says.
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This fall, the EPA will decide if dicamba can be used again next year.
Read full, original article: Despite Efforts To Stop Drift, Dicamba Complaints Up
