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ND Ag Department surveying growers about dicamba damage

North Dakota’s Agriculture Department says it has already received 43 responses to a survey of North Dakota farmers who may have seen crop damage from the herbicide dicamba.

The herbicide is to be used only on resistant crops. But damage from drift has been reported.

The 43 responses involve 20,500 acres of cropland. There have been 41 formal complaints.

"People who file formal complaints seeking damage compensation from the person who was responsible for the dicamba drift need to notify that applicator with a certified letter within 28 days of noticing the damage," said Department Pesticide and Fertilizer director Eric Delzer.

Delzer said the Department can also send out its own inspector to look at the damage. And he said no cutoff date was set for the survey.

"We had an application cutoff date of June 30th, so no applications of dicamba could be made after that date," Delzer said. "If everyone followed the restrictions, we anticipate that new complaints should be tapering off by this week."

Minnesota’s Agriculture Department is also surveying growers in that state.