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Is Weed Killer Dicamba Affecting Oak Trees?

 Lou Nelms, a retired biologist, stands next to an oak tree in Atlanta, Illinois, that may have been damaged by herbicide drift.  (Photo by Darrell Hoemann / The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting)
Lou Nelms, a retired biologist, stands next to an oak tree in Atlanta, Illinois, that may have been damaged by herbicide drift. (Photo by Darrell Hoemann / The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting)

A weed killer called dicamba has damaged or destroyed millions of acres of soybeans across the Midwest in the last couple of years. Now, a new report says that’s not all that’s being harmed. Harvest Public Media’s Erica Hunzinger (HUN-zing-ur) has more.


Read more about this story at HarvestPublicMedia.org.

(TRANSCRIPT)
The issue with dicamba is drift — that is, when farmers spray it, it can float onto other plants. Now, at least three states — Iowa, Illinois and Tennessee — are seeing possible dicamba damage on oak trees. Iowa’s Department of Natural Resources says it’s received upwards of 1,000 complaints about pesticide damage to oaks.  Some scientists think dicamba is the culprit, but there’s no definitive finding. But emails obtained by the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting show Monsanto lobbyists told the Illinois agriculture department that some other pesticide likely was at fault. BASF, which also sells dicamba, says it’s aware of issues with oak trees and that growers should reach out with concerns. Erica Hunzinger, Harvest Public Media

Harvest Public Media is a reporting collaboration focused on issues of food, fuel and field. Based at KCUR in Kansas City, Harvest covers these agriculture-related topics through an expanding network of reporters and partner stations throughout the Midwest. Global demand for food and fuel is rising, and the push and pull for resources has serious ramifications for our country’s economic prosperity. What’s more, we all eat, so we all have a stake in how our food is produced In the Midwest, in particular, today’s emerging agenda for agriculture is headlined by climate change, food safety, biofuel production, animal welfare, water quality, and sustainability. By examining these local, regional and national issues and their implications with in-depth and unbiased reporting, Harvest is filling a critical information void. Most Harvest Public Media stories begin with radio — regular reports are aired on our member stations in the Midwest. But Harvest also explores issues through online analyses, television documentaries and features, podcasts, photography, video, blogs and social networking. We are committed to the highest journalistic standards. Click here to read our ethics policy.