Mario Parker, “Pesticide ‘Drifting’ Wreaks Havoc Across U.S. Crops,” Bloomberg, August 1, 2017.
SUMMARY:
Bloomberg reports on the dicamba damage numbers. Article includes key information from Monsanto about number of acres planted in dicamba-resistant soybeans (20 million) and cotton (5 million) in 2017. This represents about 25% percent of the national soybean crop and about half of the cotton crop, very significant numbers. FULL TEXT
Kevin Bradley, July 25, 2017, “Ag Industry, Do we have a problem yet?,” Integrated Pest and Crop Management, University of Missouri.
SUMMARY:
Article summarizes the total number of dicamba-related drift complaints as 1,411 as of July 19, 2017. Arkansas leads with 686 complaints, while Missouri has over 200. Estimates of acres damaged are up to 2.5 million. The author asks: “does 1,411 official dicamba-related injury investigations and/or approximately 2.5 million acres of dicamba-injured soybean constitute a problem for U.S. agriculture? …[M]y answer is an emphatic yes.” FULL TEXT
Environmental Protection Agency, “Reassessed Group 2 Tolerances by Pesticide,” August 4, 1999.
SUMMARY:
Reassessed tolerances for pesticides following the passage of the FQPA. FULL TEXT
Environmental Protection Agency, 40 CFR Parts 180, 185, and 186, “Consolidation of Certain Food and Feed Additive Tolerance Regulations,” Federal Register, Vol. 65, No. 101, May 24, 2000.
SUMMARY:
The Office of Pesticide Programs is transferring certain of the pesticide food and feed additive regulations that are now in 40 CFR parts 185 and 186 to part 180. These regulations are being consolidate because as a matter of law all of the
pesticide tolerances are now considered to be regulated under FFDCA section 408 as amended by the Food Quality
Protection Act (Public Law 104–17) and they no longer need to be separate. Includes dicamba tolerances. FULL TEXT
Jack Kaskey and Lydia Mulvany, “Creating a Problem- And a Lucrative Solution,” Bloomberg, September 5, 2016.
SUMMARY:
Discusses the herbicide treadmill and how it has sparked the development of, and demand for, dicamba-resistant technology. FULL TEXT
Environmental Protection Agency, “COMPLIANCE ADVISORY: High Number of Complaints Related to Alleged Misuse of Dicamba Raises Concerns,” August 2016.
SUMMARY:
EPA and state agencies have received an unusually high number of reports of crop damage that appear related to misuse of herbicides containing the active ingredient dicamba. Investigations into the alleged misuse are ongoing. This Compliance Advisory is intended to provide information on the agricultural and compliance concerns raised by these incidents. FULL TEXT
United States Department of Agriculture, “Monsanto Petitions (10-188-01p and 12-185-01p) for Determinations of Nonregulated Status for Dicamba-Resistant Soybean and Cotton Varieties: Final Environmental Impact Statement,”
December 2014.
SUMMARY:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) received two requests (petitions) from Monsanto Company, St. Louis, MO (Monsanto) seeking determinations of nonregulated status for genetically engineered (GE) plant varieties referred to as MON 87708 soybean and MON 88701 cotton, that have been engineered to be resistant to the herbicide dicamba (Monsanto, 2012b; 2012a). These GE plant varieties are currently regulated by APHIS, and Monsanto requests that APHIS grant the petitions (Petition 10-188-01p for MON 87708 soybean and Petition 12-185-01p for MON 88701 cotton), so that these varieties can be grown without any APHIS regulatory oversight. Since these two GE plant varieties are currently under APHIS regulatory oversight, the Agency requires
Monsanto to comply with a full range of safeguarding measures to ensure that these regulated GE plant varieties do not transfer or spread from their APHIS-approved outdoor planting sites. APHIS authorization is also required to move these regulated varieties interstate. Once a developer of a GE plant has obtained sufficient information to conclude that its regulated GE plant is unlikely to cause injury, damage, or disease to plants or plant products (i.e., pose a plant pest risk), it may submit a petition to APHIS to no longer regulate the organism. This is referred to as seeking nonregulated status. If a petition for nonregulated status is approved by APHIS, permits or notifications are no longer required by the Agency to grow or ship the GE plant throughout the United States and its territories. If APHIS determines that nonregulated status is appropriate for one or both the Monsanto GE varieties, they will no longer be subject to any regulations pursuant to Part 340. FULL TEXT
Benbrook Consulting Services, Use of Dicamba on Crops as Surveyed by the National Agricultural Statistics Services (NASS), 2016.
SUMMARY:
Table detailing NASS reports of dicamba use (percent of total crop) and application rates. FULL TEXT
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