Farm Progress

Farmers report 21,000 acres of soybeans damaged by dicamba

Missouri is not the leading state for dicamba damage, as Illinois soybean acres top 150,000.

Mindy Ward, Editor, Missouri Ruralist

July 18, 2018

4 Min Read

Farmers reported an additional 2,500 acres of Missouri soybeans damaged by dicamba.

The number of soybean acres grew to roughly 21,000 acres damaged by dicamba drift, according to the Missouri Department of Agriculture. University of Missouri Extension weed specialist Kevin Bradley found closer to 25,000 acres in June.

Bradley confers with other state weed specialists to determine dicamba injury. According to his findings in a recent MU Integrated Pest Management newsletter, there were close to 384,000 acres of soybeans damaged in the Midwest by June 15. States like Illinois, Arkansas and Louisiana led in damaged acres, with Illinois reaching 150,000.

So far this 2018 season, MDA received 200 total pesticide misuse complaints; 139 are alleged dicamba complaints, 16 are alleged 2,4-D complaints, and the remainder fall into other chemical use 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, 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 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 18,236 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 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.

July 16
Dicamba. Number of alleged dicamba complaints: 21. Reports of injury from dicamba now total 20,761 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), 27 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. Number of alleged 2,4-D dicamba complaints: 1. The number of acres reported with 2,4-D injury increased after investigations to total 1,090 acres of cotton. The number of acres of grapes increased to 12. All the other acreage remained the same at 80 acres of soybeans, 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

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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