If you missed Part I in this series, click here. Lawsuits Begin Rolling In A number of lawsuits have been filed across the country related to these issues.  Several cases involve claims by farmers against Monsanto, BASF, and/or DuPont alleging that Monsanto violated the law by releasing their genetically modified seeds without an accompanying herbicide and that the companies should have reasonably foreseen that seed purchasers would illegally apply off-label, older dicamba formulations, resulting in drift damage.  Others claim that the new herbicide products are unreasonably dangerous and… Read More →

Dicamba will likely go down as the biggest agricultural issue in 2017.  This post will discuss some background information and then address several recent developments regarding the herbicide dicamba. Background The herbicide dicamba has been in use since the 1960’s.  In 2012, it was the 5th most used herbicide worldwide.  The chemical, marketed under names including Clarity and Banvel, kills broadleaf weeds. Things changed in the last few years when several agricultural businesses sought to alleviate concerns with weeds that had become resistant to the common herbicide glyphosate… Read More →

If you missed Part I of this series, click here. Whether you intend to plant Enlist Duo or XtendFlex cotton or soybeans or not, the issue of physical drift is important to all of us involved in agriculture.  For producers who do elect to utilize these crop systems, it is critical to ensure that applications are made with the utmost care to avoid any drift or inadvertent application issues.  For neighboring landowners who are not planting the new seeds, understanding their rights is also important. For Both producers… Read More →

You’ve probably seen a lot of talk about Dicamba and 2,4-D in the news lately, particularly if you’re involved in agriculture.  I’ve gotten some questions recently about what’s going on with these herbicides and why this is such a major issue now.  This two-part series will provide an overview of the need for new herbicide options, the new cotton and soybean traits that have been developed, some concerns and drift issues that have arisen, and what producers can do to protect themselves. The Need for New Herbicide Options… Read More →