A Northeast Arkansas farmer was killed during an alleged dispute over dicamba herbicide spray drift last week. Monette, Arkansas farmer Mike Wallace was shot and killed during a physical confrontation regarding the spraying of dicamba, according to DTN. Wallace farmed about 5,000 acres of corn, cotton and soybeans. He was quoted in the Wall Street Journal in this summer expressing concern that 40 percent of his soybean fields had been damaged by dicamba drift and he had filed a complaint with the state. Allan Curtis Jones of Missouri faces murder charges for the incident. The local Sheriff told DTN that Jones met Wallace on a county road to talk about an unidentified dispute. Jones also brought his cousin along because he believed the meeting could lead to violence. Jones told deputies Wallace confronted him and grabbed Jones by the arm, so he pulled away, drew and fired a gun at Wallace. The Environmental Protection Agency is investigating multiple instances of off-label use of dicamba. Further frustrating farmers, insurance companies will not compensate farmers for losses caused by wrongful or “off-label” herbicide applications.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting news service.