Suspected illegal herbicide use takes toll on Missouri farmers

[PatSeg]

Farmers of soybeans and other crops in southeast Missouri, western Tennessee and northeastern Arkansas are facing widespread crop damage believed to be the result of illegal spraying of dicamba, an older herbicide that is finding new life as a tool to battle glyphosate-resistant weeds.

In four Missouri Bootheel counties alone, more than 100 complaints of pesticide drift have been reported since June 22, said a representative from the Missouri Department of Agriculture. For comparison, the department typically receives 75 to 80 complaints statewide in an entire year. Experts say all signs point to dicamba as the culprit behind the surge.

“The symptoms match what we would expect coming out of dicamba,” said Kevin Bradley, an associate professor in the University of Missouri’s division of plant sciences and a lead scientist for the university’s agricultural extension. Possible exposure to the herbicide has been officially reported on 40,000 acres of soybeans in the state, causing the plants’ leaves to pucker and potentially hurting yields across the region.

State investigations into each complaint are ongoing, but many suspect the problem stems from farmers who have planted Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans — a dicamba-resistant crop variety released this year by Creve Coeur-based Monsanto Co. But the dicamba-based herbicide meant to be applied to Xtend seeds has not been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency, leaving farmers without the tool intended to fight increasingly stubborn weeds that have developed resistance to other herbicides such as Roundup, which has glyphosate as its active ingredient.

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/suspected-illegal-herbicide-use-takes-toll-on-southeast-missouri-farmers/article_e8c926ba-9dc9-5506-aeb5-30e7480ae0a3.html

[Wellstone ruled]

1. This story needs much more attention.

If their are Chem or Biochem folks here,seems to me this stuff is super toxic to humans. Is this in the same family as Agent Orange?

[NuclearDem]

2. Dicamba has nothing to do with TCDD.

I have no clue where you got the idea that dicamba is "super toxic" to humans.

[Wellstone ruled]

3. Thanks.

Remember a Chemical used in the Fifties with a similiar name then,many of the farmers that used it succumbed to ALS and Lung cancer.

[PatSeg]

4. From what I've read,

the effects are more environmental, plus many weeds have become resistant to the herbicide.

[Wellstone ruled]

5. Herbicide in it's self is a major issue.

[PatSeg]

6. I agree

Right now my primary concern is Roundup.

[Wellstone ruled]

7. Don't want to rain on this parade. Go to your neighborhood Garden Center,do some label reading

and you will be stunned by the use of Glyophaspate in almost every weed killer.

[PatSeg]

8. Oh, I am quite sure

Don't worry, I've never used chemical herbicides or pesticides. Vinegar tends to work well on weeds though. I think glyphosate needs to go away forever.

[Major Nikon]

13. Vinegar is a chemical which is more toxic than glyphosate

It's also more expensive and less effective.

[GoDawgs]

9. RFD-tv had a show about the resistant weeds problem

Something like 50-60 million acres in US alone is infested with one or more of the resistant weeds. 'Clarity' is the dicamba product currently mixed with glyphosates, for resistant crops- but when the mixed product is applied, the mechanical process (ie the nozzles & application machinery) and the higher volatility causes the aerosols to drift quite far compared to roundup alone.
I wonder if aerial spraying is the worst culprit?

[PatSeg]

10. That is really scary!

Makes you wonder, when will we ever learn? We've had similar issues with pesticides and the conventional answer seems to be, more and stronger pesticides.

Welcome to DU though!

[GoDawgs]

12. Thanks for the welcome, PatSeq

I would like to see pesticide-herbicide (and, for that matter, antibiotics) use restricted to targeted, specific, deliberate methods. The chemicals are nearly miraculous in their performance until something becomes immune, then you have worse problem to solve.. Widespread usage of anything increases chnce even through random event or mutation of making problem/dangerous organisms resistant. These new 'round-up resistant' crop seeds guaranteed emergence of resistant weeds evdntually.
Same is true for pesticides-insects and antibiotics-bacteria

[PatSeg]

14. Yes

It was pretty short sighted of the agri-business to not anticipate that overuse of chemicals has far reaching consequences.

[Lancero]

11. Huh, I thought people here were dumping on chemical pesticides saying that organic is far safer?

Dicamba is classified as a organic pesticide, so shouldn't it be safe?

[PatSeg]

15. The problem here seems to be

that some farmers were using dicamba on their GMO soybeans and the herbicide "drifts easily" seriously damaging other farmers' crops. The Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans are new and the dicamba based herbicide has not yet been approved by the EPA. Some farmers went ahead and used it anyway.