The Missouri state legislature is moving forward with a measure that would significantly increase penalties for illegal herbicide application, in the wake of widespread off-label use of dicamba herbicide last year.

 

As part of the battle against resistant weeds, Monsanto released its new dicamba-tolerant Xtend soybeans, but for last year’s growing season, the Environmental Protection Agency had not yet approved a corresponding herbicide label for the product.

 

Some producers still planted the soybeans and applied older, unlabeled and illegal herbicide formulations. Hundreds of Missouri farmers filed complaints with the Missouri Department of Agriculture about dicamba herbicide drift damage, likely the result of illegal spraying.

 

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