Monsanto ‘Dicamba Summit’ Reportedly Causing Consternation in Ag Science Community

According to the St. Louis Business Journal, some scientists — including widely respected University of Missouri professor Kevin Bradley — reportedly are declining to attend a summit to be held this week by Monsanto Co. to present information on its dicamba herbicide.

Monsanto faces complaints from farmers alleging dicamba herbicides drifted to neighboring fields and damaged crops. The company plans to present data at the summit in St. Louis that its says will show user error was behind the damage, Reuters reports.

Weed scientist from states including Arkansas and Missouri are skipping the summit due to concerns about Monsanto’s response to the complaints of damage, Reuters reports. Kevin Bradley, a University of Missouri plant sciences professor who has tracked crop damage from dicamba sprayings, told Reuters he believes Monsanto is not willing to discuss volatization and that he will not be attending the summit.

Scott Partridge, Monsanto’s vice president of global strategy, told Reuters that the summit will be the largest meeting so far on dicamba and that at least half of the 60 people invited plan to attend.