09 Jan Dicamba Concerns End Beekeeper’s Retail Operations
Published by Arkansas Public Media
By ANN KENDA
Jars of local honey from Crooked Creek Bee Co. will disappear from Arkansas stores following a decision from the state’s largest commercial beekeeper to end its retail operations amid concerns over the weedkiller dicamba.
Owner Richard Coy described his customers as disappointed but understanding about the decision, which he announced on Facebook on New Year’s Day. His honey was sold in some 80 grocery and natural food stores around the state.
Coy said he found that alleged drift from the controversial herbicide does not kill bees themselves, but damages the vegetation they need to live on. He said it was no longer possible to keep retail operations up in Arkansas due to ongoing problems with dicamba.
“The plants that produce the honey that we were selling to the retail market are the plants that have been severely damaged and the honey that are our bees collect off of other vegetation is not as desirable and I did not want to put a product that is undesirable on the shelf,” he said.
The state plant board announced a seasonal ban on the product in November 2017, but Coy and others have suspected that some use is still taking place. The plant board is currently accepting comments for a proprosed plan to allow some dicamba use on cotton and soybean crops that are resistant to the herbicide.
The company that makes the product, Monsanto, previously attributed any problems to user error and defended dicamba as the most effective and modern solution to stubborn weeds. Monsanto has since been acquired by Bayer.
Coy plans to move operations to southern Mississippi, but with some regret since Arkansas is his home state.
“It’s very emotional, but you can’t let emotions get in the way of business decision, and the best business decision is to not go broke,” he said.
FREE Consultation | Farmers & Growers With Crop Or Plant Damage
Dicamba Drift Lawyers at Peiffer Wolf Carr & Kane and Arkansas attorneys Michael Smith and Paul James are fighting on behalf of farmers and landowners to seek maximum compensation for the damages suffered due to Dicamba. If you suspect that your crops or plants have been damaged by dicamba, contact Peiffer Wolf Carr & Kane by filling out a Contact Form or by calling 314-833-4826 for a FREE Consultation.
Also, you can reach Paul Lesko directly at 314-833-4826 or at [email protected].
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