BASF, 1985
BASF, Marksman Herbicide Label, September 9, 1985, EPA Registration Number: 876-451.
SUMMARY:
Early label for Marksman herbicide with dicamba plus atrazine. FULL TEXT
Associated Press, 2017a
Associated Press, “Arkansas governor approves board’s limits on dicamba use,” The Washington Times, January 4, 2017.
SUMMARY:
Reports that Gov. Hutchinson has approved the Arkansas State Plant Board’s proposal to limit when and where dicamba can be sprayed in the upcoming planting season. It includes a requirement for a 1 mile buffer zone before spraying dicamba, except on pasture or rangeland. FULL TEXT
Demillo, 2017
Andrew Demillo, “Weed Killer Turns Neighbor Against Neighbor in Farm Country,” Associated Press, July 17, 2017.
SUMMARY:
This AP article sheds light on Mike Wallace, the Arkansas farmer who was shot and killed in October 2016 by the manager of the neighboring farm during a confrontation over damage to Wallace’s farm from dicamba drift. Mike’s sister said that he “did not want to hurt his neighbor, and he could not understand why people would spray things that would hurt others.” The article reports that as of mid July, 630 complaints have been received so far at the Plant Board, far surpassing the 250 or so that or usually submitted each year. Herbicide manufactures continue to insist the problem is with application error, and not their products. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” quotes one long-time soybean farmer. FULL TEXT
BASF, 2016b
BASF Press Release, “Engenia herbicide from BASF now registered by EPA,” Farm Industry News, 2016.
SUMMARY:
BASF press release about EPA approval of Engenia herbicide for dicamba-tolerant soybean and cotton. Includes claims of a 70% reduction in volatility. FULL TEXT
Laws, 2016
Forrest Laws, “EPA issues highly-restricted label for new dicamba formulation,” Delta FarmPress, November 8, 2016.
SUMMARY:
The EPA approves dicamba for use on herbicide-resistant crops. The formulation approved is for use with Monsanto’s new Xtendimax with Vapor Grip Technology, which contains additives intended to decrease volubility and reduce drift. FULL TEXT
Jibben, 2016
Betsy Jibben, “Farmers Waiting for EPA Approval of Dicamba,” AgWeb, November 7, 2016.
SUMMARY:
A mess was created in 2016 when Monsanto began selling its dicamba-tolerant Xtend soybeans before the herbicide designed to use with the GE seeds was approved by the EPA. Farmers bought the seed anyway because of its high yield. Some farmers sprayed dicamba anyways, an illegal off-label use, resulting in 40,000 acres of damage from drift in Missouri alone. FULL TEXT
Manley, 2016
Marci Manley, “AR Man Shot Dead in Farm Dispute,” KARK NBC 4 News Broadcast, October 28, 2016, posted at www.arkansasmatters.com,
SUMMARY:
In a shocking turn of events, farmer-to-farmer conflict over dicamba drift from off-label herbicide use ended in murder when a man was shot during a meeting about damaged crops. FULL TEXT
Charles, 2016
Dan Charles, “How Monsanto And Scofflaw Farmers Hurt Soybeans In Arkansas, ” NPR, August 1, 2016.
SUMMARY:
NPR story describes the illegal spraying of dicamba on soybean fields in Arkansas where Monsanto began selling its Xtend dicamba-resistant soybeans before the EPA had approved the new dicamba herbicide formulation for use with the GE seeds. Monsanto said farmers wanted the seed anyway because of higher yields, but many chose to illegally spray older dicamba formulations that were prone to drift. FULL TEXT
Scribner et al., 2007
Elisabeth A. Scribner, William A. Battaglin, Robert J. Gilliom, and Michael T. Meyer, “Concentrations of Glyphosate, Its Degradation Product, Aminomethylphosphonic Acid, and Glufosinate in Ground- and Surface-Water, Rainfall, and Soil Samples Collected in the United States, 2001-06,” August 2007, United States Geological Service.
ABSTRACT:
The U.S. Geological Survey conducted a number of studies from 2001 through 2006 to investigate and document the occurrence, fate, and transport of glyphosate, its degradation product, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), and glufosinate in 2,135 ground- and surface-water samples, 14 rainfall samples, and 193 soil samples. Analytical methods were developed to detect and measure glyphosate, AMPA, and glufosinate in water, rainfall, and soil. Results show that AMPA was detected more frequently and occurred at similar or higher concentrations than the parent compound, glyphosate, whereas glufosinate was seldom found in the environment. Glyphosate and AMPA were detected more frequently in surface water than in ground water. Trace levels of glyphosate and AMPA may persist in the soil from year to year. The methods and data described in this report are useful to researchers and regulators interested in the occurrence, fate, and transport of glyphosate and AMPA in the environment. FULL TEXT
de Brito Rodrigues et al., 2017
Laís de Brito Rodrigues, Rhaul de Oliveira , Flávia Renata Abe, Lara Barroso Brito, Diego Sousa Moura, Marize Campos Valadares, Cesar Koppe Grisolia, Danielle Palma de Oliveria, and Gisele Augusto Rodrigues de Oliveira, “Ecotoxicological Assessment of Glyphosate-Based Herbicides,” Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 2017, 36:7, DOI: 10.1002/etc.3580.
ABSTRACT:
Glyphosate-based herbicides are the most commonly used worldwide because they are effective and relatively nontoxic to nontarget species. Unlimited and uncontrolled use of such pesticides can have serious consequences for human health and ecological balance. The present study evaluated the acute toxicity and genotoxicity of 2 glyphosate-based formulations, Roundup Original (Roundup) and Glyphosate AKB 480 (AKB), on different organisms: cucumber (Cucumis sativus), lettuce (Lactuca sativa), and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) seeds, and microcrustacean Artemia salina and zebrafish (Danio rerio) early life stages. For the germination endpoint, only L. esculentum presented significant sensitivity to AKB and L. sativa to Roundup, whereas both formulations significantly inhibited the root growth of all species tested. Both AKB and Roundup induced significant toxicity to A. salina; both are classified as category 3, which indicates a hazard for the aquatic environment, according to criteria of the Globally Harmonized Classification System. However, Roundup was more toxic than AKB, with 48-h median lethal concentration (LC50) values of 14.19 mg/L and 37.53 mg/L, respectively. For the embryo–larval toxicity test, Roundup proved more toxic than AKB for the mortality endpoint (96-h LC50 values of 10.17 mg/L and 27.13 mg/L, respectively), whereas for the hatching parameter, AKB was more toxic than Roundup. No significant genotoxicity to zebrafish larvae was found. We concluded that AKB and Roundup glyphosate-based formulations are phytotoxic and induce toxic effects in nontarget organisms such as A. salina and zebrafish early life stages. FULL TEXT