Legal experts weigh in on the use of dicamba

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)

One of the most controversial topics in the agriculture industry is the use of the herbicide dicamba. Many state and federal policies regarding dicamba have changed in recent years including a federal court decision in Arizona that questions the future use of over-the-top dicamba products. The three products targeted are XtendiMax, Engenia and Tavium.

“The Feb. 6 decision from the U.S. District Court of Arizona was another major development in the ongoing saga impacting producers’ methods for protecting their crops,” Brigit Rollins, staff attorney for the National Agricultural Law Center, said. “Pending a possible appeal, producers will not be able to rely on over-the-top dicamba as they may have in the past.”

A week after the court ruling, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a notice that it would still allow producers to use existing stocks of over-the-top dicamba during the upcoming growing season.

Legal experts weigh in on the use of dicamba