http://www.ecowatch.com/wine-monsanto-dow-dicamba-2-4-d-2177053648.html
[links in on-line article]
Texas Wineries Worry EPA Approval of Monsanto, Dow Herbicides Will
'Kill' Industry
Jan. 03, 2017
Lorraine Chow
Wineries in Texas are worried that federal approval of two highly
volatile and drift-prone herbicides used on neighboring genetically
modified (GMO) cotton fields will cause widespread damage to their
vineyards, The Texas Tribune details.
The herbicides in question are Monsanto's dicamba-based XtendiMax with
VaporGrip Technology, which was approved in November by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Dow AgroSciences' 2,4-D-based
Enlist Duo, which the EPA also proposed to register for use on GMO
cotton seeds. Enlist Duo is already used on GMO corn and soybean crops
in 15 states.
"The approval of these formulations will wind up affecting every
vineyard up there," explained Paul Bonarrigo, a Hale County vintner who
believes that his withering grapevines have been damaged by the illegal
spraying of dicamba and 2,4-D on nearby cotton farms. Bonarrigo believes
that the state's $2 billion wine industry is in jeopardy.
The debacle is yet another chapter in the expanding issue of
herbicide-resistant weeds, or superweeds, that have evolved to resist
the herbicide glyphosate, or Roundup. In response to weeds such as
pigweed that have infested farms across the U.S., agribusinesses such as
Monsanto and Dow have developed ever stronger weedkillers to help farmers.
As noble as that might sound, Monsanto was especially criticized when
it decided to sell its dicamba- and glyphosate-resistant soybean and
cotton seeds to farmers before securing EPA approval for the herbicide
designed to go along with it. Bollgard II XtendFlex cotton was
introduced in 2015 and Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans was introduced
earlier this year.
Without having the proper herbicide, cotton and soy farmers resorted to
spraying older versions of dicamba on their crops. But dicamba, as well
as the herbicide 2,4-D, are extremely prone to drift, meaning the
chemicals can be picked up by the wind and land on neighboring fields
that cannot withstand the chemical damage. When exposed to the
herbicide, leaves on non-target plants are often left cupped and distorted.
Researchers from Ohio State University published a study in September
showing that herbicide spray drift from the 2,4-D and dicamba can
severely damage wine grape plants near agronomic crops.
Although Monsanto said it warned farmers against illegal dicamba
spraying, this past summer, dicamba drift caused 10 states to report
widespread damage on thousands of acres of non-target crops such as
peaches, tomatoes, cantaloupes, watermelons, rice, cotton, peas,
peanuts, alfalfa and soybeans.
Last month, Missouri's largest peach grower filed a lawsuit against
Monsanto over claims that dicamba drift damaged more than 7,000 peach
trees on the farm, amounting to $1.5 million in losses. This year, the
farm said it lost more than 30,000 trees, with financial losses
estimated in the millions.
Regulators assured to The Texas Tribune that the new pesticides are less
likely to vaporize and drift, and the risk of damage will lessen if
farmers follow safety precautions.
"I don't see this as being any more of an issue than what we have
today," Steve Verett, executive vice president of the Plains Cotton
Growers, told the publication. "I understand there are other sensitive
crops as well. No matter what the product is or the farmer that's
spraying, they need to make sure that the product they're spraying stays
on their farm."
Kyel Richard, a spokesman for Monsanto, added that the company has
conducted training exercises and education efforts to minimize "the
opportunity for movement off- site and ensuring those herbicides are
staying on target and controlling those weeds on the field that they're
intended for."
State wineries, however, are worried that with the EPA's approval, use
of dicamba and 2,4-D will expand to include 3.7 million acres of cotton
fields.
"I could see it basically killing the [wine] industry, honestly,"
Garrett Irwin, owner of Cerro Santo vineyard in Lubbock County,
countered. "If we get the levels of damage that I'm afraid we'll get,
vineyards will not be able to recover or produce grapes at any
sustainable level, and we're just going to have to go away."
Irwin also commented that cotton and soy farmers are likely to stick
with old dicamba and 2,4-D herbicides because the new formulations are
more expensive. Additionally, farmers have to upgrade their equipment
with anti-drift nozzles to use the new products.
"I honestly don't think farmers will buy the new formulations when older
labels that cost less are available and just as effective as the new
labels," he said. "In short, I think farmers will buy generic chemicals
without the additives to save money because the cotton won't know the
difference."
And if they do buy the new herbicides, there will still be some farmers
who "will do nothing to correct for negligence in spraying," Irwin said.
Pheasant Ridge Valley winery owner Bobby Cox told The Texas Tribune that
he is worried that cotton farmers will have no choice but to switch to
the new seeds system.
Cox said that 2,4-D drift in 2015 caused the amount of sugar in his
grapes to be about 5 percent less than ideal.
"It will be catastrophic not only to vineyards but to oak trees, to
pecan orchards, to shrubs," Cox said. "If they apply the amount of 2,4-D
that they did Roundup and are equally irresponsible with that, it will
kill everything green up here. I wish people would understand how
important wine growing is for this area, how wonderful of a crop it is
on the High Plains. It would be a shame to lose it when we're starting
to get recognized."
Not only that, environmental experts worry about dicamba's threat on
biodiversity and wonder if pesticide-makers are just creating another
cycle of herbicide resistance.
"Once again the EPA is allowing for staggering increases in pesticide
use that will undoubtedly harm our nation's most imperiled plants and
animals," said Nathan Donley, a scientist with the Center for Biological
Diversity, after the EPA approved the Xtend weedkiller. "Iconic species
like endangered whooping cranes are known to visit soybean fields, and
now they'd be exposed to this toxic herbicide at levels they've never
seen before."
"We can't spray our way out of this problem. We need to get off the
pesticide treadmill," he continued. "Pesticide resistant superweeds are
a serious threat to our farmers, and piling on more pesticides will just
result in superweeds resistant to more pesticides. We can't fight
evolution—it's a losing strategy."