Don’t let dicamba become the next glyphosate.
The damage continues to mount, the damning cancer studies have just begun. More dicamba devastation is on the horizon. Thanks to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) inaction, use of this highly toxic, volatile, and drift-prone herbicide on GMO cotton and soy continues to increase.
In 2016, the EPA began the dicamba nightmare with its approval for over-the-top spraying on dicamba-tolerant GMO soy and cotton. Despite the sounding of alarm bells by farmers and environmental groups like GMO/Toxin Free USA, EPA gave the herbicide the rubber stamp. Since its approval, dicamba drift has been responsible for damaging or destroying many millions of acres of non-GMO soy and cotton and other food crops like sugar beets, rice, sweet potatoes, peanuts, peaches, and grapes and harming the livelihoods of organic farmers. Drift has also caused widespread damage to oak trees, home gardens and landscape plantings. The herbicide is so volatile that it has the potential to re-aerosolize and drift days after its application in certain weather conditions, making it very difficult, if not impossible, to track back to the source.
And to add insult to injury, the USDA does zero testing of food crops for dicamba drift contamination.
In South Dakota, Little Shire Farm, an organic farm run by John and Lisa Zuhlke, was devastated multiple times over multiple years by dicamba drift. “We got completely wiped out. We had to stop production. All of our CSA shares, community-supported agriculture shares-gone; farmers markets–gone.”
Richard Coy was forced to shut down Coy’s Honey Farm in Arkansas, the largest family-operated beekeeping operation in the state, and move it to Mississippi. Dicamba drift damaged the vegetation his bees depended on to live, and also resulted in “undesirable product.” “It’s very emotional, but you can’t let emotions get in the way of business decisions, and the best business decision is to not go broke,” said Coy.
Bader Farms, the largest peach orchard in Missouri, reported 1,000 acres of peaches damaged by dicamba drift over multiple years. Bill Bader’s peach farm was put out of business.
These are only a few of the stories across the nation of the devastation caused by dicamba use on GMO crops.
Dicamba drift damaged an estimated 5 million acres of crops, trees and backyard gardens between 2016 and 2017 alone. Despite the massive reports of drift damage, in 2018 the EPA reapproved and expanded its use.
In 2020, researchers at the National Institutes of Health found that the use of dicamba can increase the risk of developing numerous cancers, including liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancers, acute and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and mantle cell lymphoma which may manifest up to 20 years after exposure. With dicamba’s ability to drift for miles, people in many areas of the country are now routinely forced to breathe in this dangerous pesticide.
In 2021, the EPA made some minimal changes to dicamba restrictions. But by the agency’s own admission, this did nothing to reduce drift damage. EPA’s own data shows dicamba has harmed thousands of farmers to date. The agency’s December 2021 report states that these numbers are likely an undercount by 25 times.
In the midst of the 2022 growing season, it’s the same song, different verse. With EPA’s inaction, more damage and health harms are on the way.
“I would like everyone to contact the EPA… If we can get enough people to rise up and say ‘enough is enough, we don’t want to poison our food’, maybe we can get something changed,” said beekeeper Richard Coy in a past interview.
We don’t need pathetic and ineffective restrictions. This dangerous herbicide should be banned. The EPA and other government agencies created to protect us and our environment must be put on notice. They need to know that we’re watching and we demand action. The people in charge must be called out and held accountable. Tell the EPA that we, the people, demand that carcinogenic and drift-prone dicamba be banned before it becomes the next glyphosate.
Demand that the EPA ban dicamba. Send your email today.
READ RELATED ARTICLE: The herbicide dicamba was supposed to solve farmers’ weed problems – instead, it’s making farming harder for many of them
Poison kills insects birds frogs fish humans are next
Humans are already being killed by dicamba and its close relative 2,4-D. Weed and feed is another product containing chlorophenoxy herbicides. Pets have been dying from it for many years also. It is great for the toxic industries’ business plan until there isn’t much left surviving it.
It’s unbelievable that’s been caused to organic farms by dicamba drift! We need to stop its use before it becomes as bad as glyphosate!
It’s unbelievable that’s been caused to organic farms by dicamba drift! We need to stop its use before it becomes as bad as glyphosate!
We must end the use of these chemicals poisoning our food systems.
We must end the use of these chemicals poisoning our food systems.
Stop poisoning our food you bastards, greed is disgusting and killing us…
We must end the use of these chemicals poisoning our food systems.
*ENOUGH*!
We need to stop playing whackamole with different poisons.
We need an overarching law(s) and enforcement of these laws that make corporations liable at very great cost for endangering the health of people and the planet as a whole.
Corporations nearly always factor the financial benefits of their poisons over time against the legal costs of fighting in the courts. We must make that calculus quite simple by presenting overwhelming costs, financial and legal criminality.
Many farmers suffering from cancer directly related to Glyphosate. I lost two friends due to your product. STOP Killing people and bees!
Poison kills everything
We have the human right to food that is not contaminated with carcinogenic poisons. EPA has failed us time and time again, and they need to do their jobs or step down.
WE NEED TO BAN ALL GMOS AND THEIR PESTICIDES WORLDWIDE. IT DOES NOTHING BUT HARM THE ENVIRONMENT AND ALL LIFE ON THIS PLANET. STOP THE MADNESS. SO MANY SPECIES ARE ENDANGERED OR EXTINCT. BOYCOTT THEM. IF THE GOVERNMENT IS TOO STUPID TO REALIZE THE HORRIBLE HARM IT CAUSES THEN JUST DONT BUY THEIR CRAP. WE CAN STOP THEM. TAKE ACTION. BOYCOTT GMOS AND THEIR PESTICIDES. GROW ORGANIC SUSTAINABLE FOOD.
It is lethal poison. Allowing it disgustingly puts profit over people.
It makes no sense to pollute our planet with the very chemicals that kill us.
Stop now
Stop These poisons now from being manufactured
I beg you to take action as the mother of a toddler, concerned about her future!
Please stop spreading this poison that has been causing me and others severe digestive (and other health) problems.
Thank you for these important notices and news.
As a person living w effects of herbicide poisoning….235 in my prime..123 soaking wet..but thankful Creator spared me 30 + yrs ago..I can’t get thru to these people in this backwoods country as to what they are doing to all of US….even as their own family members struggle w diabetes, cancer, and a myriad of other maladies, ailments, and sicknesses.. . GREED has a bigger hold on them and their actions.and I am the CRAZY ONE???. To all those EARTH WARRIORS Thank You for keeping up the good fight.. ..!!!
Reject this poison! NO GMO’s, NO TOXIC HERBICIDES!
End the destruction of what’s left of our farmland.