Nebraska Farm Bureau Urges Attorney General, EPA to Explore “Any and All Options” to Continue Dicamba Usage

 

LINCOLN, NEB. – Nebraska Farm Bureau is urging Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler to expedite and explore any and all options to ensure Nebraska farmers can continue to use dicamba products impacted by a June 3 decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The ruling overturned EPA’s conditional registrations for three dicamba herbicides widely used for weed control in Nebraska soybean fields.

“The timing of this ruling couldn’t be worse. Dicamba products are stringently regulated and agricultural producers have a limited window to use these products. We are in that window of use time right now, but that window is rapidly closing. The timing of the court’s decision has needlessly created tremendous uncertainty for farmers. Worse yet, many farmers made planting decisions and herbicide purchases based on their understanding these dicamba products would be available for their weed control programs,” said Steve Nelson, Nebraska Farm Bureau president.

Given the time sensitive nature of the situation, Nebraska Farm Bureau reached out to Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson to encourage investigation into any legal actions that would provide immediate relief to and ensure farmers could continue to utilize the dicamba products.

Nebraska Farm Bureau also reached out to EPA Administrator Wheeler to encourage the agency to take a similar course of action, as EPA is responsible for oversight of the labeling authorizing the sale and use of the dicamba products. The agency is currently reviewing the court decision and has yet to provide an official response.

“The court’s ruling in the middle of the growing season is unconscionable. We’re doing everything we can to find an immediate solution to prevent Nebraska farmers from being negatively harmed by this poorly timed court ruling, who are already reeling from the impacts of COVID-19 on the agriculture economy,” said Nelson.

The Nebraska Farm Bureau is a grassroots, state-wide organization dedicated to supporting farm and ranch families and working for the benefit of all Nebraskans through a wide variety of educational, service, and advocacy efforts. More than 58,000 families across Nebraska are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve rural and urban prosperity as agriculture is a key fuel to Nebraska’s economy. For more information about Nebraska Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit www.nefb.org.