By Jim Steadman
Monsanto has weighed in on the Arkansas Plant Board’s proposed ban of dicamba use in the state, following nearly 250 complaints of dicamba drift.
The proposal, passed on June 23, is now awaiting final approval by Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchison and a state legislative committee.
In a statement issued June 26, Monsanto Chief Technology Officer Robb Fraley said, “Helping farmers protect their crops from troublesome weeds is a big focus for many modern agriculture companies, including Monsanto. Make no mistake about it: on the farm, weeds are much more than just an eye sore. They grow big and spread fast. They steal sunlight, water, and nutrients from crops. To effectively manage weeds, farmers need access to a variety of crop protection tools and methods.
“With that, I’m troubled by the Arkansas State Plant Board’s recommendation to deprive Arkansas farmers of an important crop protection tool in the middle of a growing season,” he added, “especially in light of not hearing directly from those farmers this recommendation impacts. I encourage impacted farmers to share their concerns with Governor Hutchinson.”
The company – which is not selling its XtendiMax with Vapor Grip dicamba product in Arkansas in 2017 – issued the following opinion:
Today (June 23), the Arkansas State Plant Board recommended an action that will prevent farmers from having access to all of the available weed control options. The recommendation made by the Plant Board to ban the use in Arkansas of the only remaining dicamba product previously approved for in-crop use with dicamba-tolerant crops blatantly ignores the interests of Arkansas farmers. The Plant Board’s decision was made without hearing directly from farmers about the impact of removing a valuable weed-management tool, without providing sufficient notice to the public and without allowing the opportunity for public input. The Plant Board did not allow farmers to describe how the Board’s mid-season action to abruptly remove a valuable weed management tool would affect their operations in connection with the approximately 1.5 million acres of dicamba-tolerant seed already planted throughout Arkansas. Instead the Board based its decision on off-target movement claims that are still being investigated and have not been substantiated.
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