Short Wave The Fight Over A Weedkiller, In The Fields And In The Courts
Jun 15, 2020
Dan Charles, NPR's food and agriculture correspondent, dives into the contentious debate surrounding dicamba, a widely used herbicide. He discusses a recent federal court ruling that has farmers reeling, halting dicamba's use and igniting legal battles amidst concerns for both harvests and health. Charles unpacks the complexities of genetically engineered crops driving dicamba reliance and the significant environmental impacts at stake. With Bayer's attempts to reintroduce the herbicide, the future of farming in the Midwest remains uncertain.
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Chaos in the Fields
- Jean Payne, president of the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association, received dozens of messages after the court ruling.
- Farmers were in the midst of soybean production, with dicamba ready to spray, creating chaos.
Dicamba's Initial Success
- Arkansas farmer Mike McCarty had success with dicamba against pigweed.
- He said it was the first tool that worked effectively, highlighting its initial appeal.
Dicamba Drift Damage
- Another Arkansas farmer, David Wildey, suffered crop damage from dicamba drift.
- His soybeans were deformed, even though he didn't use dicamba, illustrating the drift problem.