Bluestem has looked at the issue of drift by the cropping system designed around dicamba in posts like Sneak attack: farmers struggle w/ dicamba after EPA, states give Monsanto free pass on testing, Feeling those oats in our breakfasts in America? Or, I love the smell of Round-up in the morning and Does Dicamba harm bees by killing forage?
To read some real reporting about the issue, check out the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting's coverage of a lawsuit now underway:
German agribusiness companies Bayer and BASF face allegations in a civil lawsuit that they created circumstances that damaged millions of acres of crops by dicamba in order to increase profits from a set of new dicamba-related products offered for sale beginning in 2015.
A trial of the lawsuit, originally filed in November 2016 by southeastern Missouri peach farmer Bill Bader, began Monday and is expected to last two to three weeks. The lawsuit initially named Monsanto, which was acquired by Bayer in 2018. In the court proceedings, the company is being referred to as Monsanto.
The blockbuster testimony on the first day? This got our attention:
Dicamba on trial: Internal docs show Monsanto, BASF prepared for drift complaints prior to dicamba launch https://t.co/kusxYef6x1
— Sally Jo Sorensen (@sallyjos) January 30, 2020
This is an important trial, which is why we're covering it intensively with our reporter in the courtroom every day.#dicambaontrialhttps://t.co/y6jTIoY7Lw
— InvestigateMidwest (@IMidwest) January 30, 2020
Here's the St. Louis Post Dispatch's coverage of the corporate strategy discussed in the courtroom:
This is an important trial, which is why we're covering it intensively with our reporter in the courtroom every day.#dicambaontrialhttps://t.co/y6jTIoY7Lw
— InvestigateMidwest (@IMidwest) January 30, 2020
We'll keep an eye on this one. In the meantime, follow @IMidwest and @jhett93, Johnathan Hettinger, the reporter covering the trial if you're on Twitter.
On its Dicamba--Damage and Complaints webpage, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture reports:
Dicamba is a highly volatile chemical that can damage non-target plant species through spray drift and/or volatilization (vapor drift). Misuse of dicamba products may cause serious damage to non-dicamba-tolerant soybeans, sensitive crops, non-crop plants, and endangered species. . . .
The MDA conducted surveys in 2017 and 2018 to gather information and obtain a thorough understanding of how to properly use these new dicamba products. In 2017, the MDA received 249 complaints and conducted 56 official investigations. Dicamba related damage was reported in 49 counties of the state in 2017. Prior to the 2018 growing season, the MDA amended label restrictions to minimize the potential for off-target movement of dicamba. In 2018, the MDA received 53 entries in the online dicamba survey. Out of 53 complaints, only 29 people requested official investigation. Dicamba related damage was reported in 20 counties of the state in 2018. In order to mitigate the potential off-target movement, the USEPA has added additional label requirements for the post-emergence use of dicamba in dicamba-tolerant (DT) soybeans in 2019.
If your garden, orchard or field gets that drift, the plants might not look so pretty.
Photo: Soybeans in Arkansas damaged by dicamba drift.
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