More than 60% of Farmers Still Have Dicamba to Apply
With recent Court rulings, three of the four legal over-the-top dicamba applications are cancelled. With the cancellation, farmers were told they could use existing stocks in their possession by June 3, 2020—but how many farmers had stocks on hand or have had the ability to spray the product according to the label?
In a recent Farm Journal Pulse, with 539 responses, 36% of farmers said they were done with dicamba applications for the season. With 64% of respondents saying they still have acres to spray, here’s the breakdown:
- 50% to 100% left: 33%
- 25% to 50% left: 14%
- Under 25% left: 18%
Farmers await the Court’s next decision as plaintiffs are petitioning for immediate vacatur of the three pesticides. They claim EPA should be held in contempt, as well.
“This seems like it’s illegal because EPA is defying the court order and the court had every intention when they passed that rule that, that was it, no more use of this chemical because it wasn’t approved,” says Jim Goodman, with the National Family Farm Coalition, plaintiff in the lawsuit that lead to dicamba’s vacatur. “EPA seems to feel that they have more authority than state and local governments, even the court system.”
EPA, however, is encouraging the court to uphold their cancellation order and provisions for existing stock. If the Court does this, farmers would still be able to apply existing dicamba stocks until July 31 or state-specific cutoffs.
“Petitioners’ motion to ‘Enforce this Court’s Vacatur and to Hold EPA in Contempt,’ is a thinly-veiled attempt to revive arguments the court already rejected or declined to reach. It should be denied,” EPA said in court documents.
Read more about recent lawsuits:
EPA Says Motion In Dicamba Case Is “Distorted Characterization”
Will Farmers Be Able to Spray Dicamba Next Week?
Dicamba’s Future is Shaky—Is Enlist Next on the Chopping Block?
BREAKING: Court Removes Three Out of Four Dicamba Registrations
Non-Dicamba Options for Dicamba-Tolerant Soybeans
