Investigate Midwest (https://investigatemidwest.org/series/dicamba/)
Photo by Darrell Hoemann/Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting
An Illinois farmer holds GMO soybean seeds on Jan. 26, 2015. U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows that roughly 90 percent of all soybean acres are planted with GMO seeds.
A new version of an old-pesticide released in 2016 and made by the agribusiness corporation, Monsanto, has been blamed for millions of acres of damages in fields across the Midwest and spurred dozens of lawsuits from farmers for the losses in revenue.
In 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture granted permission to Monsanto, now owned by Bayer, for the release of two seeds – soybeans and cotton – that were resistant to the pesticide.
Propelled by deregulation, Monsanto anticipated the seeds will help fight the super weeds and lead what a January first-quarter earnings report labeled the largest biotechnology launch in company history.
It released the corresponding pesticide, a version of dicamba, some months later.
Here’s what happened next.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has extended use of pest control substance, dicamba, until December 20, 2020. What are the new regulations for extended use of the herbicide?
As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency prepared to make label changes for the herbicide dicamba after it caused widespread crop damage, the agency depended on the herbicide’s maker for guidance, documents produced in a federal lawsuit show.
A review of more than 800 pages of documents from a lawsuit filed against the U.S. EPA in January 2017 highlight the process behind how the agency made the label changes.
“With soybeans, people are out looking for it because it can affect their bottom line,” said Nathan Donley, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity. “With milkweed, the lack of complaints doesn’t mean it’s not there. It’s just not widely reported on.”
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lessened protections for crops and wildlife habitats after Monsanto supplied research that presented lower estimates of how far the weed killer dicamba can drift, according to a review of federal documents.
University of Illinois weed scientist Aaron Hager said that reports of plant damage from the herbicide dicamba are something that he sees every year, but there were a few factors that made the 2017 growing season rife with complaints to agriculture officials.
Join us for a panel discussion featuring weed scientists, industry leaders and community members as we delve into the issues that arose with dicamba. There will be time after the moderated panel for an audience Q & A session.
The event is free but RSVP required. Light refreshments will be served.
We've also put together a fact sheet so you can ask questions, too.
More than 5,400 pesticide applicators and farmers have attended free trainings on spraying the herbicide dicamba throughout Illinois. Here's what reporter Anna Casey learned while attending one of them.
The announcement comes after Monsanto posted record profits in Fiscal Year 2017, largely because of a demand for its new generation of genetically modified soybean and cotton seeds.
The emails – contained in more than 60 pages of documents obtained via the Freedom of Information Act - show the companies often suggested how to deal with the complaints, sometimes without any solicitation from department officials.
The warning came from an industry group of pesticide applicators during a December 2016 meeting held to discuss whether the pesticide should be designated as “restricted use,” which means only certified applicators can apply the pesticide. A non-restricted use pesticide can be purchased and applied by anyone and records of application are not required.