Stanley Culpepper, an agronomist with UGA’s Cooperative Extension, and Mark Czarnota, an associate professor of horticulture in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, spoke with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about the debate around a weed killer called dicamba.
Certain uses of the herbicide were barred by a federal court last year, though the EPA may allow farmers to use it again. Culpepper is in favor of reauthorizing dicamba products.
“If our farmers don’t have a way to control the pest, they can’t provide us (animal) feed, food and fiber,” Culpepper said.
However, Czarnota raised concerns about dicamba-laden runoff getting into water supplies and harming other crops, such as blueberries.
“The product just worries me,” he said. “It’s one of those that keeps you up at night.”