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Greitens signs bill to strengthen penalties for herbicide misuse in Missouri

Gov. Eric Greietens signs HB 662 into law at the Fisher Delta Center in Portageville on March 31, 2017.
Office of Gov. Eric Greitens
Gov. Eric Greietens signs HB 662 into law at the Fisher Delta Center in Portageville on March 31, 2017.

Updated March 31, 2017 – Stiffer penalties are now in place for anyone who misuses dicamba and other herbicides in Missouri.

Governor Eric Greitens signed House Bill 662 into law Thursday, but also held an official signing ceremony Friday at the University of Missouri’s Fisher Delta Center in Portageville, which conducts agricultural research in the Bootheel region.

The new law gives the Missouri Department of Agriculture the authority to levy fines of $10,000 per violation for anyone who doesn’t follow safety guidelines for using herbicides and as a result contaminates someone else’s crops. Repeat offenders can be fined up to $25,000 per violation.

“This is an important issue, both for the southeast region and for everyone who values agriculture in Missouri,” Greitens said. “We're fighting for our farmers and ranchers to protect our state's top industry.”

The new law takes effect immediately, courtesy of an emergency clause approved by the House and Senate before sending it to the governor’s desk.

Updated March 13, 2017 – Legislators have strengthened a bill designed to curb misuse of herbicides in Missouri.

House Bill 662 easily passed the Missouri House last month. Originally, the bill would have allowed the state Department of Agriculture to issue fines of up to $1,000 an acre for first-time offenses and up to $2,000 an acre for repeat offenders. But on Monday, a Senate committee boosted the fines to $10,000 per violation before passing it unanimously.

The sponsor, Rep. Don Rone, R-Portageville, says the tougher penalties don't bother him. 

“We have got to do what we can to get this across the finish line so the growers know these penalties,” he said.

The bill would  use money collected from the fines for local school districts.House Bill 662 next goes before the full Senate. If it passes there it’ll have to go back to the House so it can also vote on the stricter penalties for misusing herbicides. 

Original story from Feb. 24, 2017 –Overwhelmingly, the Missouri House believes that farmers who misuse herbicides on crops and orchards should have to pay up.

On Thursday, they passed House Bill 662, 147-8. The measure would allow the Department of Agriculture to fine first-time violators up to $1,000 for each affected acre. Repeat offenders would have to pay up to $2,000 an acre.

Credit Missouri Soybean Association via Facebook

The current fine is $1,000 per incident, regardless of the number of acres impacted. That’s too small to be an effective deterrent, said House bill sponsor DonRone,R-Portageville.The Department of Agriculture saw more than 120 complaints last summer over illegal pesticide spraying in the Missouri Bootheel. More than 400 fields, encompassing nearly 40,000 acres of peaches, cotton, corn and soybeans, were contaminated by misuse and illegal spraying of the pesticide dicamba.

With spring planting not far away,Ronewants to get the measure toGov. EricGreitensfor his signature as soon as possible.

"(Farmers are) preparing for a planting date of the middle of April for corn, the last of April for soybeans and cotton," he said. "We need to have this in place so the new penalties will be there and the growers will know that the new penalties are there."

The Senate is considering a similar bill, though fines would be $10,000 per incident.

Follow Marshall Griffin on Twitter:@MarshallGReport

Copyright 2021 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio.

Missouri Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a proud alumnus of the University of Mississippi (a.k.a., Ole Miss), and has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off the old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Mason, and their cat, Honey.
Marshall Griffin
St. Louis Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a native of Mississippi and proud alumnus of Ole Miss (welcome to the SEC, Mizzou!). He has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off an old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Liberty Belle, and their cat, Honey.