LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas' governor has given initial approval to a temporary ban on the sale and use of an herbicide that's prompted hundreds of complaints from farmers and a federal lawsuit claiming it's caused widespread damage.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Friday forwarded to a legislative committee for review the 120-day ban on dicamba that was approved last week by the state Plant Board.
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 more than 500 complaints this year about dicamba's use, and a group of farmers filed a class-action lawsuit in June against the makers of the herbicide over damage to their crops.
Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.