Organic farmers in the U.S. have seen ups and downs in pushing for stronger regulations for pesticides used in agriculture. The application of the weed-killing pesticide dicamba and how it can drift from one farm to another is currently at the heart of the regulatory fight.
In February (2024), a federal court blocked “over the top” spraying of dicamba products, but the United States Environmental Protection Agency followed with an order to allow the spraying of existing supplies.
Glenn Pulse co-owns an organic farm near Vermillion and says a drift incident in 2017 had a big impact on his operation.
“Our entire farm was covered. We lost a lot of livestock, and thousands of bees were killed.”
Pulse says the incident also resulted in health concerns for his family, having to regain his organic farmer certification and a legal battle over restitution.
Groups such as the National Family Farm Coalition have been fighting what they call the deregulation of these chemicals, arguing the drift and runoff effect has damaged millions of crops. Dicamba-manufacturing companies deny responsibility, instead blaming farmers who apply it for not following guidelines.
Pulse feels there are farmers who are careful when spraying chemicals, but he wants stronger enforcement against those who aren’t.
“The guys that are not following the labels and they’re spraying in weather conditions that are not favorable, that is where, I would say, 90% of the problems are happening with drift incidents.”
South Dakota Congressman Dusty Johnson has been the main sponsor of proposed federal legislation supporters say would assure uniformity in national pesticide labeling under federal law. Opponents, however, argue it would limit longstanding state and local pesticide safety rules.
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