Reuters writer Tom Polansek reported yesterday that, “Missouri has issued its first fines over the misuse of a farm chemical in 2016 that went on to be linked in different formulations to widespread U.S. crop damage this year, the state said on Thursday.
“Authorities fined eight people a total of $145,125 for improperly spraying the chemical known as dicamba, used to kill weeds, in what Missouri called ‘the first wave of civil penalties issued to applicators,’ according to a statement.”
The Reuters article noted that, “The delay between sprayings last year and the state’s action shows how a long process of investigating many complaints about dicamba use is straining resources in farm states.”
Mr. Polansek added that, “This year, damage related to dicamba herbicides covered 3.6 million acres in 25 states, according to University of Missouri data. Several states have imposed new restrictions on dicamba use for 2018 to avoid a repeat of the damage.”
