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Arkansas Governor advances proposed emergency rule to ban dicamba

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson has decided to move forward with the state Plant Board’s proposal to ban dicamba.  In a letter to the Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture and the director of the Arkansas Plant board, the Governor said the volume of complaints do justify emergency action.

Hutchinson approved the dicamba emergency rule and it now heads to state’s Legislative Council for review.  The Legislative Council’s next meeting is July 21.  Approval would put a 120-day moratorium on any further in-crop use of dicamba.

The Governor says the state needs a long-term solution and requested the departments to put together a task force to review the dicamba technology, investigate the current problems with its use and application.

The second proposal would be allowed to stay in effect beyond the 120-day period of an emergency rule.  If approved, the rule would allow the Plant Board to assess a civil penalty great than $1,000 but not more than $25,000 for egregious violations.  Those are defined as significant off-target crop damage.  It does not become effective until August 1, 2017.

BASF’s Engenia is the only dicamba herbicide currently labeled for use in Arkansas from April 15 through September 15.

As of Monday, there were 542 alleged dicamba misuse complaints in 23 counties.