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Dicamba pitting farmer against farmer

A state soybean leader describes the dicamba situation as messy and says it has pitted some farmers against each another.

Michael Petefish is president of the Soybean Growers Association in Minnesota, where more than 200 dicamba complaints have been reported.

Petefish tells Brownfield there’s a lot of tension and many unknowns.

“On one hand, you sympathize with the guy who maybe didn’t have dicamba soybeans and decided not to mess with the technology or whatever the reason.  Then something comes along that dings his beans and he has absolutely no involvement in the situation and you sort of instantly feel for the guy and say he should be compensated.”

On the other hand, Petefish says if label requirements were properly followed, the applicator should not be held responsible.

“These are the things that are supposed to be spelled out prior to product release.  (things like) What is the concentration?  When can I spray?  What do the winds have to be?  What do the nozzles have to be?  What is the label?  And if that farmer truly did follow the label as written, he’s not really culpable.”

If applicators can prove they followed the label, Petefish says the industry will ultimately have to answer for damages.

He also points out it will be very difficult to determine the impact on soybean yields from dicamba.

 

 

 

 

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