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Beck’s asks EPA to restrict dicamba to pre-plant application

Beck’s seed company is urging the EPA to limit dicamba use to pre-plant applications only.

Scott Beck is president of the family-owned company.

“We want to preserve this technology  but we think the best way to do it is to have it as a pre-plant application and not in season because the drift and volatilization issues are things that applicators in particular with volatilization can’t control,” he says.

He tells Brownfield it would also help prevent more resistance issues.

“We’ve had glyphosate weed resistance issues and if we are so heavily using dicamba-based products then we’re going to miss out on an opportunity for farmers to continue to have other choices to combat weed resistance,” he says.

Beck’s sent a letter to the EPA after surveying farmers who reported off target damage to their soybeans.

The company says it supports the new dicamba technology but limiting its use will help solve off-target movement.

The EPA will soon decide whether to extend the registrations of Engenia, XtendiMax, and FeXapan herbicides, which expires November 9th.

Beck’s serves farmers in several states including: Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Missouri.

Audio: Scott Beck, Beck’s