One expert doubts new Dicamba rules will make a difference

The Environmental Protection Agency declaring dicamba under it’s “restricted use” category, but a weed scientist from Illinois has doubts the new restrictions will be beneficial. Aaron Hager, a weed scientist and professor at the University of Illinois, told Reuters, "Nothing in these new restrictions addresses volatility, and that's still an issue.” The EPA choosing to classify dicamba as restricted use, limit spray times and required wind conditions, along with requiring detailed record keeping of dicamba use. Under the requirements, certified pesticide applicators, or people under their supervision, will be allowed to spray dicamba in 2018. However, that restriction may not do much to reduce crop damage related to sprayings because many farmers and commercial applicators are already certified, according to experts. Monsanto and BASF, makers of dicamba-based herbicides, welcomed the EPA announcement. Growers across the U.S. said this summer that dicamba affected areas other than where it was sprayed, damaging millions of acres of crops that could not tolerate the herbicides.  More on today's Big Show, check it out here:


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