The Executive Subcommittee of the Arkansas Legislative Council has approved the Arkansas State Plant Board’s 120-day ban on the in-crop sales and use of dicamba, as reported in the June 29 eNewsletter. The ban began at 12:01 a.m. on July 11 and lasts for 120 days. Applicators caught using dicamba after the ban face a $1,000 fine. After Aug. 1, the new fine kicks in, and the penalty for illegal applications of dicamba increases to $25,000.

 

With its own dicamba drift complaints quickly accumulating, the Missouri Director of Agriculture followed suit and announced a ban on the sale and use of dicamba in Missouri. The ban was put into place July 7, and was effective immediately. The Stop Sale, Use or Removal Order was for all dicamba containing products labeled for agricultural use. The Missouri ban is temporary.  For the new formulations of dicamba labeled for in-crop use, the ban will be lifted once a special local needs label has been developed and approved in Missouri. For all other formulations of dicamba, the Missouri ban remains effective until Dec. 1, 2017.

 

The current count for dicamba misuse complaints are 633 in Arkansas and 123 in Missouri. There have also been misuse complaints in Mississippi and Tennessee. Other states where dicamba tolerant crops were planted in 2017 are closely monitoring the situation.