Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue indicated to reporters this week that he would like to see the industry work out a fix on dicamba issues. Perdue said: “I would much prefer that method rather than a prescriptive, top-down regulation,” in saying that he is “hoping that the industry itself and the producers themselves are working toward a resolution,” according to Politico. Thousands of dicamba drift complaints have been filed across the Midwest and Southeast this year as dicamba-based herbicides have damaged neighboring crops that are not dicamba-tolerant. Last week, Monsanto said it is taking the situation “extremely seriously,” and would offer support to affected growers. Monsanto is the maker of the Roundup Ready 2 Extend crop system, which features dicamba resistant cotton and soybeans.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.