LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- An Arkansas farmer says he suspects retaliation for speaking out against use of the herbicide dicamba.

Dicamba is used to kill weeds in soybean fields, but when applied in summer heat and humidity, the chemical can drift and damage other crops and plants. It's estimated 3 million acres of cropland nationwide were damaged from pesticide drift in 2017, a year that saw more than 1,000 dicamba complaints in Arkansas. This year, the Arkansas State Plant Board placed a May 25 cut-off date on use of the herbicide.

Board chairman Terry Fuller, a soybean and corn farmer, said that when he testified at the Legislature about farmers illegally spraying past the deadline, two tractors on his property were vandalized.

"That was Aug. 17, that night, after I testified at Little Rock to the Joint Ag legislative committee, senators and representatives. And then Sept. 17, I presented again," he said. "Before I got out of town, the town of Little Rock, they were sending me a picture of 367 bales of hay on fire."

He said the damage totals $80,000. One study found dicamba can be detected in the air as many as three days after crops are sprayed. This summer, a Ninth Circuit Court judge ruled against the Environmental Protection Agency, requiring the agency to place restrictions on its use and ban sales.

Under state law, farmers illegally spraying dicamba can be fined $25,000 for each violation. Fuller said he's unfazed by the intimidation tactics, but is concerned that some farmers apparently aren't concerned about their neighbors.

"I'm wondering where our moral compass in this country has gone," he said. "How you can think it's right to spray something and you don't know which way it's going to go, days after you apply it. That's what the research scientists have said about this product from the beginning."

Until now, said Jason Keith Norsworthy, a distinguished professor of soil, crop and environmental science in the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, soybean farmers have had few alternatives to get rid of invasive species such as pigweed.

"Now, in soybeans, dicamba was really the only herbicide that could be used. Because of herbicide-resistant weeds that we have in the field, there really was no option for those growers that chose to plant dicamba soybeans," he said. "But today, there are several technologies that are out there."

Bayer, a company that has created genetically modified varieties of soybeans and cotton designed to tolerate dicamba, is expected to ask the EPA to put the herbicide back on the market for the 2021 growing season.

The study is online at ipm.missouri.edu, the text of the lawsuit is at usrtk.org, and the Arkansas Plant Board rule is at agriculture.arkansas.gov.


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On Tuesday, 20 Colorado officials sent a letter to the state's congressional delegation protesting six cuts to public lands management in the new tax and spending bill signed into law by President Donald Trump.

John Clark, mayor of Ridgway, said the elimination of river and climate data programs, which are essential to managing the Colorado River Basin and forecasting drought, will put additional burdens on food producers.

"If our farmers and ranchers don't have accurate data about exactly what the situation is with the snow pack and what's happening with the climate, how can they be prepared for each growing season?" Clark asked.

Five active wildfires have burned more than 22,000 acres on Colorado's Western Slope. The letter urged state representatives to reject any additional cuts to the U.S. Forest Service's Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program or other mitigation efforts. Republicans have argued cutting the size of government is necessary to eliminate waste, fraud and expenditures they claim are unsustainable.

Officials are also calling out a provision in the new law they believe undermines local decision-making by forcing oil and gas leasing on public lands. In addition, the law creates new barriers for clean energy leases on public lands, a move Clark worries will lead to the loss of good-paying jobs.

"If we discourage clean energy on public lands, that's going to severely impact our alternative energy workforce," Clark pointed out. "If we can't do wind and solar on public lands, it disincentivizes clean energy all across the state."

Officials are also asking members of Congress to fully fund the National Park Service to ensure proper staffing and maintenance. Clark argued standing up for lands owned by all Americans is essential to preserving Colorado's iconic natural landscapes and rural economies.

"Our economy is hugely dependent on people coming in to visit us and eat at our restaurants and experience these beautiful outdoor environments," Clark emphasized.


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A Wisconsin nonprofit is working with farmers in Southeast Wisconsin to educate communities about the importance of agroforestry, with plans to establish its first urban site in Milwaukee.

The Michael Fields Agricultural Institute has planted more than 400 trees across three sites this year, in partnership with the Savannah Institute. The sites include a community garden and two farms.

Iris Lee, owner of Lee Hemp Farms in Burlington, said agroforestry collaboration is breathing life back into her nearly 50-year-old organic family farm.

"You plant and design things that go together," Lee explained. "That will help not only humans but the animals and nature and bugs."

Agroforestry integrates trees, shrubs and perennial plants into crop and livestock systems. Lee noted one of the project's goals is to raise awareness of the practices and their larger connection to food systems, climate change and communities. The sites will also be used for educational demonstrations.

Community members and project participants helped Lee plant a trail of more than 100 trees in April, from hazelnut and elderberry, to Juneberry and pawpaw trees. They have already grown two to three feet, and she anticipates the berry trees will yield results first. Lee added she even loves talking to her trees and emphasized the physical and mental health benefits of agroforestry.

"Growing something is therapeutic," Lee observed. "To be one with nature -- meaning you know where things come from that you put in your body -- anybody that is concerned about the food and their health, to grow something is to build upon a better human being."

Nolan Burkard, research technician for the nonprofit Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, said diversifying food systems in this way is a growing area of interest for small farmers. Through agroforestry, they can also improve soil health and local climate resilience.

Burkard emphasized it requires long-term investment to get there.

"It takes quite a while for trees to grow up and start fruiting or provide their benefit," Burkard acknowledged. "That's why this project is so important because it is such an investment to plant trees."

Burkard added the institute is accepting applications until July 26 for an urban site in Milwaukee. The selected site will receive $15,000 and planning support to aid in designing it.

Despite the elimination of a handful of alternative energy tax incentives in the new federal budget, Iowa corn farmers will benefit from one that was extended.

Tax breaks and rebates encouraging investment in solar and wind power in Iowa were eliminated in the federal spending plan. However, the Trump administration extended an incentive enabling farmers in Iowa to produce more corn. The Hawkeye State is the nation's top corn producer, much of which is used to produce ethanol.

Chris Bliley, senior vice president of regulatory affairs for the biofuel trade organization Growth Energy, said grain-based fuels burn cleaner and are more environmentally friendly.

"The credit actually goes for production of lower carbon fuels that are used for transportation," Bliley explained. "It includes on-road fuels as well as sustainable aviation fuel. And so, the lower in carbon, the higher the credit."

The Trump administration has made efforts to extract more fossil fuels, which it said will move the U.S. toward energy independence.

Lawmakers in Iowa and neighboring Midwest states have introduced their own tax incentives for biodegradable jet fuel, which Bliley noted will create economic benefits for ag producers.

"To remain competitive, plants in Iowa and Nebraska and throughout the Midwest are investing in some of these key projects to lower their carbon intensity," Bliley observed.

The commercial airline industry is aiming for net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, according to the International Air Transport Association, which could continue to benefit Iowa farmers who provide corn for ethanol production.


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