Missouri peach grower sues Monsanto over herbicide use

 

KENNETT, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri's biggest peach producer is suing Monsanto Co. over illegal herbicide users suspected of causing widespread crop damage in Missouri and neighboring states.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/2ghXgNL) says last month's lawsuit in southeast Missouri's Dunklin County by the operator of Bader Farms near Campbell seeks what Bader's attorney suspects will be millions of dollars in compensation for damage to the farm's peach trees over the past two years.

That time frame coincides with Monsanto's release of crop varieties resistant to the herbicide, dicamba. Some farmers are suspected of using unauthorized dicamba forms prone to drifting to surrounding areas where non-resistant crops can be harmed.

Monsanto says the lawsuit tries to shift responsibility away from individuals who knowingly, intentionally broke the law and harmed their neighbors in the process.