State Rep. Don Rone has asked House Speaker Todd Richardson to allow the House Agriculture Committee to hold a special hearing to investigate the impact of the dicamba herbicide on Missouri crops. Rone said the herbicide has already caused irreparable damage to thousands of acres of farmland and cost growers in the Bootheel millions of dollars in lost crops. He wants the legislature to act quickly to look for solutions that can prevent additional damage to even more farm land in the state.
As Rone wrote in a letter to House Speaker Richardson, “I am sure you have been informed of the problem the Bootheel region is seeing with Dicamba and its effect on Missouri crops. The total ramifications of this herbicide on Missouri crops are as yet unknown; therefore I am requesting a special hearing of the House Select Committee on Agriculture to assess the problem. By expanding our knowledge on the issue, we can determine exactly how this will affect the growers of the Missouri Bootheel.”
Rone added, “As you are aware, agriculture is the state of Missouri’s number one industry; therefore the welfare of agriculture is of the utmost importance to both our economy and our citizens’ livelihoods. As leaders in our state, we must do everything possible to become knowledgeable in any and all things that could affect the industry.”
The Environmental Protection Agency recently issued a warning regarding the illegal use of dicamba, which has not been registered by the EPA. Any current application of dicamba during the growing season is against the law. Missouri has already seen more than 100 complaints of dicamba misuse and more than 42,000 acres of crops have been infected.
Rone said he hopes to work with Speaker Richardson and state Rep. Bill Reiboldt, who chairs the House Agriculture Committee, to schedule a hearing as soon as possible.
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