The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency gave the green light to farmers this week to continue using the controversial pesticide dicamba—despite the chemical having a tendency to drift and damage nearby crops and vegetation. Only soybean and cotton plants that have been genetically modified to tolerate the Monsanto-made weed killer can withstand its application, leaving all other vegetation at risk. Although the EPA did impose somewhat stricter rules on how long farmers could spray dicamba, independent scientists who specialize in weeds argue these were not likely to mitigate the problem. Some farmers say they’ll probably now be forced to plant dicamba-resistant plants—which, surprise, Monsanto also sells—just to avoid the consequences of the pesticide spreading to their property. Turns out, strong-arming consumers into buying your products is a particularly profitable business model: This past year, nearly half of all soybeans and cotton crops planted in the United States were Monsanto's dicamba-resistant variety.
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Latest NewsUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall
It would boost our dependence on pesticides, seed costs for small farmers, grocery bills for American families, and population losses for butterflies and bees.
Expert BlogDr. Sylvia Fallon
Glyphosate, a toxic herbicide, is under attack. But it’s not enough to develop “better” chemical weapons in our war against crop-killing weeds. We need to rethink our entire battlefield strategy.
Expert BlogAvinash Kar