KEISER, Ark.–The Arkansas state plant board has launched a series of meetings after dozens of complaints started coming in from all over the state about the chemical called Dicamba damaging crops.
A field full of injured soybeans and farmers is blaming a new technology that involves Dicamba for the destruction.
“More and more people are claiming injury or exposure, accidental exposure to the herbicide,” said Terry Walker who is the director of the Arkansas plant board.
The chemical Dicamba has been around for years but combination technology to fight off pesky weeds is new
and effective on crops that can tolerate the powerful chemical the problem is when sprayed the chemical can drift for hundreds of miles and damage other plants in its path.
“If Dicamba comes in by accident or by intentional application or wind they are probably going to lose their crops,” added Walker.
Farmers aren’t the only ones who could feel the wrath as the chemical finds its way into the wind anything not cleared for treatment by the chemical could also suffer.
“If it does not carry the resistant trait, for example, tomatoes, watermelon, peanuts, black berries, blue berries, peaches are probably going to suffer.”
Those items wouldn’t be safe for consumption after coming in contact with Dicamba. Realizing just how serious things could get if the use of the chemical isn’t stopped plant board members have motioned to ban the use. The motion passed unanimously but a final vote won’t happen until next week.
Many farmers fear the grain yield and profit will suffer long term during the upcoming harvest season because of the damage, damage that could roll over into another harvest season.
