The impact of dicamba drift injury to the 2017 South Dakota soybean crop continues to grow as the South Dakota Department of Agriculture compiles more data. South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture Mike Jaspers says information came to them through two avenues, including the formal complaint process.

However, Jaspers says they also collected information through an informal farmer survey, which resulted in another 57,000 acres with dicamba damage.

He says they’re still running tests on field samples where farmers filed formal complaints on dicama and to date 70-percent had some level of the herbicide. They’re also collecting yield data and all that data will be used to make any label changes beyond EPA’s listing of dicamba a restricted-use herbicide.

Jaspers says yield loss is hard to quantify, initial data indicates minimal yield loss to the crop that was in the vegetative stage and more significant losses to beans in the reproductive stage. However, he says where there is damage it’s unfortunate that some insurance claims are being denied.

He says overall the Department still has a long process ahead, before determining what to do for next year.