Environmental Protection Agency, “Dicamba; Pesticide Tolerances,” Federal Register, 40 CFR Part 180, December 8, 2016.
SUMMARY:
This regulation establishes tolerances for residues of dicamba in or on cotton, gin byproducts; cotton, undelinted seed; soybean, forage; and soybean, hay. Monsanto Company requested these tolerances under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). Sets the cRfD at 0.04 mg.kg.day. FULL TEXT
Monsanto, “Monsanto, UNL Sign Agreement to Develop Dicamba-Tolerant Crops,” Monsanto Press Release, March 23, 2005.
SUMMARY:
Monsanto press release announcing agreement with University of Nebraska-Lincoln to develop dicamba-resistant crops. FULL TEXT
Monsanto, Monsanto Meeting Whistle Stop Tour – Day 1, Monsanto Official Transcript, August 17, 2016.
SUMMARY:
Detailed transcript of Monsanto investor meeting in August 2016 where dicamba and glyphosate investments and projections were discussed. FULL TEXT
BASF, Engenia Herbicide Label, December 20, 2016, EPA Registration Number: 7969-345.
SUMMARY:
EPA label for Engenia Herbicide for dicamba-resistant crops. FULL TEXT
Monsanto, XtendiMax With VaporGrip Technology Herbicide Label, November 9, 2016, EPA Registration Number 524-617.
SUMMARY:
Label for XtendiMax with VaporGrip Herbicide for use with dicamba-tolerant crops. FULL TEXT
Jack Kaskey and Lydia Mulvany, “Monsanto Seeds Unleash Unintended Consequences Across U.S. Farms,” Bloomberg, September 1, 2016.
SUMMARY:
Reports on dicamba damage in 2016 after Monsanto allows sales of dicamba-resistant crops even though the EPA had not yet approved the new dicamba formulations meant for use with the new GE seeds. Farmers tell Bloomberg they feel “compelled to buy the engineered Monsanto seed to avoid injury next season.” FULL TEXT
Tom Barber, “Dicamba Drift and Potential Effects on Soybean Yield,” AGWatch Network, July 7, 2016.
SUMMARY:
Tom Barber, an Extension Weed Scientist at the University of Arkansas, posts a chilling overview of what he has observed in soybean fields in several parts of the state. His piece “Dicamba Drift and Potential Effects on Soybean Yield” contains an ominous warning – “We have observed a 10% [soybean] yield loss from dicamba at rates as low as 1/1024X of the labeled rate” – a very low level of drift and/or movement following volatilization. Barber also warns that low rates of dicamba drift/movement onto soybeans, especially later in the crop’s growth cycle (i.e. R3-R5) can result in carryover of dicamba in the seed…triggering problems if the soybeans are used for seed in the next year and increasing dietary exposure levels. FULL TEXT
Carey Gillam, “Monsanto to invest more than $1bln in dicamba herbicide production,” Reuters, June 24, 2015.
SUMMARY:
Reports on Monsanto plans to invest heavily in dicamba production in preparation for the launch of dicamba-resistant crops. A major plant expansion underway in Luling, Louisiana to meet rising demand for dicamba and Monsanto tells Reuters it sees “a 200 million acre ‘practical fit’ for its Roundup Ready Xtend system for soybeans and cotton in the Americas.” FULL TEXT
Mark Behrens, Nedim Mutlu, Sarbani Chakraborty, Razvan Dumitru, Wen Zhi Jiang, “Dicamba Resistance: Enlarging and Preserving Biotechnology-Based Weed Management Strategies,” Science, 316, 2007, DOI: 10.1126/science.1141596.
ABSTRACT:
Abstract: The advent of biotechnology-derived, herbicide-resistant crops has revolutionized farming practices in many countries. Facile, highly effective, environmentally sound, and profitable weed control methods have been rapidly adopted by crop producers who value the benefits associated with biotechnology-derived weed management traits. But a rapid rise in the populations of several troublesome weeds that are tolerant or resistant to herbicides currently used in conjunction with herbicide-resistant crops may signify that the useful lifetime of these economically important weed management traits will be cut short. We describe the development of soybean and other broadleaf plant species resistant to dicamba, a widely used, inexpensive, and environmentally safe herbicide. The dicamba resistance technology will augment current herbicide resistance technologies and extend their effective lifetime. Attributes of both nuclear- and chloroplast-encoded dicamba resistance genes that affect the potency and expected durability of the herbicide resistance trait are examined. FULL TEXT
Mark Steil, “State investigating Monsanto weed killer after farmers’ complaints,” MPRnews, July 20, 2017.
SUMMARY:
Reports on about 2 dozen complaints received by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture about damage from dicamba. The debate continues over what’s to blame- farmers spraying improperly or on the wrong weather days, the use of generic formulations that lack the additives to reduce volubility, or Monsanto’s product itself. Lab tests are being conducted on the affected crops to determine if dicamba is to blame. Estimates are that thousands of acres of soybeans across MN have been damaged. FULL TEXT