Farm Progress

Facing mandatory deadlines and the end of the spray season, dicamba and 2,4-D injury complaints slow down.

Mindy Ward, Editor, Missouri Ruralist

July 11, 2018

3 Min Read

The number of dicamba injury reports slowed last week with just six over the previous week, according to the Missouri Department of Agriculture. The numbers could be a result of the mandatory deadlines and the end of the spray season.

This year, Missouri restricted the use of Engenia, XtendiMax and FeXapan in dicamba-tolerant soybeans and dicamba-tolerant cotton. Spraying of these products was prohibited after June 10 in 10 southeast Missouri counties. And in just a few days, on July 15, the rest of Missouri will also be required to comply.

So far this 2018 season, the MDA received 173 total pesticide misuse complaints; 118 are alleged dicamba complaints, 15 are alleged 2,4-D complaints, and the remainder fall into the “other chemical use” complaint category. Southeast Missouri still accounts for most of the complaints filed, with 75 of the dicamba reports and 10 2,4-D complaints.

Here is the breakdown of the reported injury numbers by week.

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June 11
Dicamba. Number of alleged dicamba complaints: 21. The 21 reports of injury include 504 acres of peaches, 75 acres of watermelons, two greenhouses with vegetables, residential trees, and personal gardens and grapes.

2,4-D. Number of alleged 2,4-D complaints: 10. Reports of injury from 2,4-D include 990 acres of cotton, 80 acres of soybeans, 6 acres of grapes, residential trees and residential tomato plants.

June 18
Dicamba. Number of alleged dicamba complaints: 21. Reports of injury from dicamba this week bring totals to 3,107 acres of soybeans, 1,445 tomato plants, 514 acres of peaches, 75 acres of watermelons, 50 pepper plants, two greenhouses with vegetables, personal gardens, grapes, 15 rose bushes and more than 12 acres of residential trees.

2,4-D. Number of alleged 2,4-D complaints: 1. Reports of injury from 2,4-D bring total damage to 990 acres of cotton, 300 seedling trees, 80 acres of soybeans, 6 acres of grapes, residential trees and residential tomato plants.

June 25
Dicamba. Number of alleged dicamba complaints: 26. Reports of injury from dicamba expanded to include 12,493 acres of soybeans, 1,445 tomato plants, 514 acres of peaches, 75 acres of watermelons, 50 pepper plants, two greenhouses with vegetables, personal gardens, grapes, 15 rose bushes and more than 12 acres of residential trees.

2,4-D. Number of alleged 2,4-D complaints: 4. Reports of injury from 2,4-D now total 990 acres of cotton, 300 seedling trees, 80 acres of soybeans, 8 acres of grapes, 25 acres of commercial produce, residential trees, residential tomato plants and a residential garden.

July 2
Dicamba. Number of alleged dicamba complaints: 44. Reports of injury from Dicamba now total 17,716 acres of soybeans, 524 acres of peaches, 500+ acres of residential trees, 75 acres of watermelons, 10 greenhouses with vegetables, 15 acres of fruit trees (excluding peaches), 25 personal gardens, two commercial gardens, 2 acres of grapes, 2 acres of blackberries, 2 acres of strawberries, 24 acres of alfalfa, personal shrubs and flowers

2,4-D. No new complaints. The number of acres reported with 2,4-D injury increased after investigations to total 1,090 acres of cotton. All the other acreage remained the same at 80 acres of soybeans, 8 acres of grapes, 25 acres of commercial produce, residential trees, residential tomato plants and a residential garden.

July 9
Dicamba. Number of alleged dicamba complaints: 6. Reports of injury from dicamba now total 18, with 236 acres of soybeans, 526 acres of peaches, 500+ acres of residential trees, 75 acres of watermelons, 10 greenhouses with vegetables, 15 acres of fruit trees (excluding peaches), 25 personal gardens, two commercial gardens, 2 acres of grapes, 2 acres of blackberries, 2 acres of strawberries, 24 acres of alfalfa, and personal shrubs and flowers.

2,4-D. No new complaints. The number of acres reported with 2,4-D injury increased after investigations to total 1,090 acres of cotton. All the other crop acreage remained the same at 80 acres of soybeans, 8 acres of grapes, 25 acres of commercial produce, 313 residential trees, residential tomato plants and three residential gardens.

Return to MissouriRuralist.com every week to see the running tally of dicamba and 2,4-D complaints for 2018.

 

 

About the Author(s)

Mindy Ward

Editor, Missouri Ruralist

Mindy resides on a small farm just outside of Holstein, Mo, about 80 miles southwest of St. Louis.

After graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural journalism, she worked briefly at a public relations firm in Kansas City. Her husband’s career led the couple north to Minnesota.

There, she reported on large-scale production of corn, soybeans, sugar beets, and dairy, as well as, biofuels for The Land. After 10 years, the couple returned to Missouri and she began covering agriculture in the Show-Me State.

“In all my 15 years of writing about agriculture, I have found some of the most progressive thinkers are farmers,” she says. “They are constantly searching for ways to do more with less, improve their land and leave their legacy to the next generation.”

Mindy and her husband, Stacy, together with their daughters, Elisa and Cassidy, operate Showtime Farms in southern Warren County. The family spends a great deal of time caring for and showing Dorset, Oxford and crossbred sheep.

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