A bill recommending an “emergency ban” on dicamba has passed the Arkansas State Plant Board (ASPB) and is headed to the governor’s desk.
The issue has chiseled a heated rift between the state’s farmers. While many say that the chemical is desperately needed to combat broadleaf weeds, the state has reportedly received hundreds of complaints from others who say that dicamba drift has ruined their crops.
Last year, ASPB approved BASF’s dicamba brand — Engenia — for use during the current growing season. The same board also rejected Monsanto’s XtendiMax, saying that the company had failed to provide enough information about the product.
The proposed 120-day dicamba ban in the state would specifically target cotton and soybean farmers using the chemical in conjunction with seeds modified to resist the chemical.
BASF has argued that Engenia is designed to be less volatile than other dicamba products and that instances of drift were likely caused by wind or a failure to follow proper application techniques. Others have also pointed out that a ban on dicamba could prompt farmers to turn to even less safe chemicals, potentially worsening the problem.
But several other states including Mississippi, Tennessee and Missouri have also reported increasing levels of dicamba-related complaints.
The bill banning the use of dicamba still has two major hurdles to pass before becoming law: It needs to be signed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson — a Republican — and then pass the Executive Subcommittee on Arkansas Legislative Council.
After ASPB voted to approve the bill last Friday, the Arkansas Agriculture Department issued a statement saying, “Gov. Hutchinson has followed this issue closely…and will be conducting a thorough review of the propose rule as soon as possible.”