Arkansas Stands Firm on In-Season Dicamba Ban

During a public hearing on November 8, the Arkansas State Plant Board voted to restrict the use of new low-volatility dicamba products in the state for a second consecutive year, despite the efforts of state grower groups and pending litigation with product manufacturers.

The ruling means that growers in Arkansas who plant dicamba-tolerant cotton and soybean varieties will not be able to use the new formulations for weed control between April 16 and October 31, 2018.

Advertisement

Following the Board’s decision, Scott Partridge, Monsanto vice president of global strategy, said, “We are very disappointed that the Plant Board has voted to put Arkansas farmers at a disadvantage, but we’ll continue to follow the process to help those growers have greater choice next season.”

A state legislative subcommittee must approve the ban before it becomes official.

More details can be found in this article from Reuters.

Top Articles
USCTP Expands Regional Field-Level Grower Support System

Following the meeting, Dr. Mark Cochran, vice president-agriculture for the University of Arkansas System, released this statement:

“Today the Arkansas State Plant Board voted to ban dicamba use between April 16 and Oct. 31. The plant board and the dicamba task force that preceded it made a decision based on the best evidence from land grant research conducted not only by the scientists of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, but also by their peers in Missouri, Tennessee, Indiana and other states, and from additional information made available from all other sources. We are proud of the work that our weed scientists and agronomists have done in service to the people of Arkansas and beyond.

“Our weed scientists and agronomists will continue to work diligently toward tools and techniques to help Arkansas farmers economically manage the challenge of resistant weeds.”

0