12 / SEEDWORLD.COM SEPTEMBER 2017 INTENDED TO GIVE farmers another tool in their toolbox to control weeds, the new formu- lations of dicamba that were supposed to be less volatile have supposedly led to thousands of acres of crop damage and hundreds of complaints filed with state departments of agriculture throughout the Midwest and South. Arkansas was one of the first states to see the complaints file in. By June 23, state regulators had received 242 complaints from farmers saying their crops had been damaged. That number has since increased to more than 600. “Nobody was quite prepared, despite exten- sive training, for just how sensitive beans were to dicamba,” says Bob Scott, a University of Arkansas Extension weed specialist. In Missouri, the soybean association estimated more than 200,000 acres of soybeans have been damaged by dicamba this year. As such, on July 7 both Arkansas and Missouri announced bans on the sale and use of dicamba products for agriculture, each with slightly differ- ent terms. Arkansas halted the sale of dicamba for agricultural use in the state for 120 days, effective July 11. Meanwhile, Missouri banned the sale and use of all dicamba products labeled for agricultural use in the state, which went into effect immediately. “We want to protect farmers and their liveli- hoods,” said Chris Chinn, Missouri Director of Agriculture. “At the same time, my commitment to technology and innovation in agriculture is unwa- vering. That’s why I am asking the makers of these approved post-emergent products, researchers and farmers to work with us to determine how we can allow applications to resume.” Monsanto, BASF and DuPont had each developed new formulations of dicamba. Monsanto created XtendiMax with VaporGrip technology, while BASF developed Engenia and DuPont FeXapan. At Chinn’s urging, they came together to increase requirements for use of these products within the state. A few days later (July 13), Director Chinn issued a notice of release for the sale and use of these products. “From the moment the stop sale and use order went into effect, we’ve been working to get these As reports of damage continue to file in, university and company experts try to identify the cause. Julie Deering DICAMBA June 14, 2017 Location: Arkansas Five farmers from Arkansas file a lawsuit against Monsanto and BASF for the alleged crop damage. June 23 Location: Arkansas 242 complaints of crop damage. That number has since increased to more than 600 complaints. July 7 Locations:Arkansas&Missouri Both states announce bans on the sale and use of dicamba products. July 11 Location: Arkansas Halts the sale of dicamba for agricultural use for 120 days. July 13 Location: Missouri Chris Chinn, Missouri Director of Agriculture issues a notice of release for the sale and use of new formulations. DEBACLE weed control products back into the hands of our farmers,” she said. “BASF, Monsanto and DuPont came to the table and agreed to additional safe- guards for product use in response to issues we’ve faced this growing season.” The additional needs identified include: •  Wind speed. The product is not to be applied when wind speeds are greater than 10 miles per hour. Applicators must measure and record wind speed and wind direction for each field prior to application. •  Application timing. The product is not to be applied before 9 a.m. and after 3 p.m. •  Certified applicators. All applications must be made by a properly licensed Missouri certi- fied private applicator or certified commercial applicator, certified noncommercial applicator or certified public operator. •  Dicamba notice of application form. Certified applicators must complete an online web- based form, known as the Dicamba Notice of Application, prior to the actual application. •  Record-keeping requirements. Certified private applicators, certified noncommercial applicators and certified public operators must keep and maintain a record of use for each application of these products. After also seeing increased dicamba drift com- plaints, Tennessee added measures, which extend through Oct. 1, to help mitigate the risk of herbi- cides containing dicamba. At the time of print, Arkansas’ ban remained in place, and as a result of the damage, five Arkansas farmers filed a lawsuit July 19 against Monsanto and BASF for the alleged crop damage that occurred as a result of the off-target movement of the new dicamba formulations. If the new formulations were designed to be less volatile and less likely to drift, what went wrong? That seems to be the million-dollar question. Likely Causes “The biggest problem is the sensitivity of non- Xtend soybeans to dicamba herbicide,” says Tom Barber of the University of Arkansas. “As we have TIMELINE