ROCKVILLE, Md. (DTN) — EPA released a report on Dec. 21 detailing widespread alleged dicamba damage from the 2021 season but said the agency cannot move fast enough to make regulatory changes to dicamba use by the 2022 spray season.
“The regulatory tools that the Agency could use to address the extent and severity of the alleged dicamba related incidents are unlikely to be fully implemented by the 2022 growing season due to the statutory processes the Agency is required to follow,” the EPA’s summary of its report stated.
But in the report, EPA promised to help states “restrict or narrow the over-the-top uses of dicamba” if state officials found it necessary for over-the-top herbicides XtendiMax, Engenia and Tavium. The agency also said it would not allow states to expand the use of dicamba for next year.
The 73-page report from EPA paints a harrowing picture of the 2021 spray season, from dicamba resistance emerging to thousands of reports of alleged dicamba injury to soybean fields, specialty crops, research fields, public lands such as wildlife refuges, and private property such as gardens and residential landscaping.
Read more of this story from our partners at DTN/Progressive Farmer here: https://www.mydtn.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/article/2021/12/21/epa-publishes-dicamba-damage-report
