crop damage
Hurricane Harvey expected to pound Texas and the Delta
With winds of 105 mph early today, Hurricane Harvey could be the most powerful storm to hit the United States since 2005, bringing 15 to 25 inches of rain to the Texas coast and up to 15 inches of rain to central Louisiana, said the National Weather Service, as growers scurried to harvest cotton and rice ahead of the storm.
Weed expert says he cannot support use of dicamba in 2018 in Arkansas
University of Arkansas weed scientist Jason Norsworthy described the weedkiller dicamba as "a product that is broken," and told a state task force that he could not recommend its use in the state in 2018, said the Arkansas Democrat newspaper. Arkansas leads the nation in reports of damage to crops when dicamba is sprayed on nearby fields.
Monsanto agents condoned improper use of dicamba, says lawsuit
A class-action lawsuit filed in federal court in St. Louis accuses sales representatives of Monsanto, the world's largest seed and ag-chemical company, "of secretly giving farmers assurances that using unauthorized or 'off-label' spray varieties would be all right," reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "That’s one of many allegations in the suit to place blame from soaring complaints of dicamba damage on companies that produce the weedkiller and accompanying seed varieties."
Fearing crop damage, Arkansas and Missouri temporarily ban dicamba
Responding to more than 700 complaints of crop damage due to pesticide drift, Missouri and Arkansas banned temporarily the use of the weedkiller dicamba, a stunning setback for an herbicide promoted as the answer to fast-growing invasive weeds that are resistant to other chemical controls. Seed and ag-chemical giant Monsanto said the Arkansas ban was premature and told growers, "[T]o ensure your continued access to dicamba, make sure your elected officials and relevant agencies" hear dicamba success stories.
Farmers prepare for the worst in Louisiana
With the floodwaters still rising in some parts of Louisiana, a lot of farmers with crops still in the field, as well as some with harvested crops in storage, are facing a total loss, says AgriPulse.