Soybean field with white house in the distanceDespite increased dicamba restrictions, more than 3,500 issues were reported this year related to dicamba drift, according to an EPA report released this week. EPA says more than 1 million acres of non-dicamba tolerant soybeans were reported as damaged. However, several ag groups are asking for clarity, fearing the data may contain gaps. EPA released the report as part of the agency’s assessment of whether dicamba can be sprayed on tolerant crops without causing “unreasonable risks” to neighboring, non-tolerant crops, as well as trees. Ag groups seeking clarity say it is not clear whether complaints were made to multiple regulators and possibly double-counted.

Concerns also emanate on whether complaints were verified or assessed further. The dicamba battle has made headlines since 2017, when EPA approved over-the-top-use of the herbicide for one year. In June 2020, U.S. appeals court blocked the sale of dicamba and ruled EPA understated the risks associated with the weed management tool. EPA invalidated the court ruling in October 2020, making the tool available for use for the next 5 years.

Read more on dicamba use and the EPA report here.