In the wake of an increasing number of complaints from soybean growers about crop damage from dicamba drift during the 2017 growing season, Monsanto on Aug. 3 issued a statement urging growers to contact the company to report leaf cupping and other signs of crop damage that could potentially be linked to dicamba drift.
Monsanto’s new dicamba formulation, XtendiMax with VaporGrip Technology, is in the first year of its commercial launch, and the company has been at the forefront – along with dicamba producers BASF and DuPont – of a wave of complaints about damage to soybeans and other crops from suspected dicamba drift.
“We are hearing that the overwhelming majority of farmers are experiencing tremendous success during this first year of commercial launch,” said Monsanto Chief Technology Officer Robb Fraley in the Aug. 3 letter. “However, we have also heard reports that some farmers are noticing signs of leaf cupping in nearby soybean fields, which could be attributable to dicamba. Any time we hear reports of potential crop injury, from any cause, it concerns us. We know the passion, energy, and financial resources you invest in your fields. Your crop is your livelihood, and you only get one shot a year. We understand. We are taking these reports extremely seriously, and we want you to know what we’re doing about them.”
Fraley urged growers who suspect crop damage from off-target dicamba movement to contact the company immediately at 1.844.RRXTEND to report the incident and arrange a time to meet with a company agronomist at the damage site. Fraley said Monsanto has also deployed scientists from The Climate Corporation, one of its subsidiaries, to review weather data to determine if environmental conditions or weather patterns might have affected applications this season.
Based on recent University of Missouri estimates, dicamba drift damage on soybeans this year has affected 2.5 million acres, including 850,000 acres in Arkansas, 300,000 acres in both Illinois and Virginia, 250,000 acres in Mississippi, 150,000 acres in both Iowa and Minnesota, and 55,000 acres or less in the states of Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio, Nebraska, Kansas, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Georgia.
Arkansas, the state hardest hit by reports of dicamba-related crop damage, imposed a 120-day ban on dicamba use in early July, and at least seven Arkansas growers have filed lawsuits against Monsanto, BASF, and DuPont. The Missouri Department of Agriculture also imposed a temporary ban on dicamba use on July 7, but the ban was lifted in mid-July.
Monsanto issued separate statements on July 7 in response to the bans in Arkansas and Missouri. “We sympathize with any farmers experiencing crop injury, but the decision to ban dicamba in Arkansas was premature since the causes of any crop injury have not been fully investigated,” the company said.
“Missouri has reiterated its commitment to allow farmers to have access to technology, and this decision to issue a temporary ‘Stop Sale, Use, or Removal Order’ for all agricultural uses of dicamba products in Missouri allows the state to engage in an expedited investigation process and consider additional special local need labeling restrictions for the remainder of the 2017 growing season,” Monsanto said. “Monsanto will actively engage in that process and appreciates the continued collaboration with the State of Missouri.”
The U.S. EPA said it is reviewing current use restrictions on the labels for suspected dicamba formulations.