LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas lawmakers have given final approval to expand the use of an herbicide the state had restricted in response to complaints that it drifted onto crops and caused widespread damage.
The Joint Budget Committee on Tuesday approved the Plant Board’s rules regarding the use of the herbicide dicamba. The board last week adopted rules that allowed the use of dicamba through May 25.
The rules impose a mile buffer zone around research stations, certified organic crops and commercially grown specialty crops between April 16 and May 25. It also requires a half-mile buffer around all non-dicamba crops when dicamba is applied.
The state had previously banned dicamba’s use from April 16 through Oct. 31. Arkansas enacted the ban last year after receiving nearly 1,000 complaints.
