LITTLE ROCK — An Arkansas panel has voted to temporarily ban the sale and use of an herbicide that has prompted hundreds of complaints and a federal lawsuit from farmers who say it has caused widespread damage to crops.
The state Plant Board on Friday approved the 120-day restriction on dicamba on a 9-5 vote. Dicamba is a relatively inexpensive weed killer but can drift and damage nearby row crops such as soybeans and cotton in addition to fruit and vegetable farms and ornamental trees.
The state plant board has received 247 complaints this year about dicamba's use, and a group of farmers filed a class-action suit this month against the makers of the herbicide over damage to their crops. The restriction must also be approved by the governor and a legislative panel.
Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.