The Arkansas State Plant Board has revised regulations concerning the use of dicamba in Arkansas. During a public meeting on Wednesday, the board, which is part of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, voted on proposed rule changes for the herbicide.
The board voted to make three changes to the rules. The first change was to remove a requirement for GPS mapping and online registry for dicamba applications. The second revision was to permanently allow producers to use dicamba from April 16-25, and the third revision clarifying the definition of “egregious violation” for violations that occurred before March 11, 2019 and those that occur after March 11. Under the new definitions, a violation that occurred before the March 11 cut-off is egregious if “significant off-target crop damage is established” according to a Agriculture Department news release, and a violation that occurs on or after March 11, 2019 is egregious if the product is deliberately used in violation of federal or state law.
Now, the rule change proposals must be reviewed by the Arkansas House and Senate Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development Committees, followed by a review from the Arkansas Legislative Council’s Rule Review Subcommittee.
The Arkansas Legislative Council must then approve the State Plant Board’s rule changes.
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