The Arkansas State Plant Board voted for the second time on dicamba regulations and had the same answer: a ban from April 16 to Oct. 31 on use of the weedkiller on cotton and soybeans, said the Associated Press. The board proposed the ban last month as a safeguard against damage to neighboring crops but was instructed by a legislative panel to reconsider its plan.
The plant board voted 11-3 to stand by the regulations “after the board’s pesticide committee discussed the reasons for the cutoff dates and recommended sticking with the proposal,” said the AP. State Sen. Bill Sample, who called for the review, said he now backs the ban and cited the panel’s discussion of it as the reason for his change of mind. Delta Farm Press said the Arkansas Legislative Council was expected to consider the dicamba regulations for a second time on Jan. 16.
Farmers filed nearly 1,000 complaints of crop damage due to dicamba in 2017. Monsanto genetically engineered soybean and cotton varieties to tolerate doses of the herbicide, and farmers have embraced the GMO varieties and low-volatility formulations of dicamba as a tool against invasive weeds. But some scientists say the weedkiller can evaporate from where it is sprayed and drift onto susceptible crops on neighboring farms. The EPA has tightened its rules for 2018 on who can apply dicamba and has issued spraying restrictions based on time of day and wind speed. A half-dozen states are working on additional restrictions.
Monsanto is challenging the Arkansas cutoff dates, which bar the use of dicamba for most of the growing season. The AP quoted a Monsanto official as saying “the Plant Board has chosen to make the same mistake again.” The company says crop damage is the fault of improper application.