ARKANSAS, July 5, 2017 - Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced he will send an emergency rule banning the sale and use of the herbicide dicamba to the Arkansas Legislative Council, a committee of the General Assembly, for approval, the last step before it goes into effect.
The ban would freeze for 120 days use of the herbicide over the top of row crops. It follows hundreds of misuse complaints from across the state. The number of cases where misuse has been alleged was 507 in 21 counties as of June 30, double the number from June 23, when the state’s Plant Board approved the proposal. Hutchinson also sent along an increase in fines for dicamba misuse and ordered the Plant Board and the state’s Department of Agriculture to create a task force to review dicamba technology, investigate the use of dicamba and “find a lasting solution for Arkansas.”
The governor made the announcement in a letter dated June 30. Earlier this year, the state restricted dicamba use to BASF’s Engenia herbicide, a low-volatility formulation.
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