EPA Reapproves Weedkiller Dicamba Despite Concerns About Drift and Crop Damage
February 09, 2026 | Source: Civil Eats | by Lisa Held
Regulators at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced late Friday the reapproval of the herbicide dicamba—a weedkiller that courts have banned twice because of its tendency to drift and damage crops and other plants—for use on soybeans and cotton. While the agency says the approval includes new restrictions that will reduce the chemical’s harms, watchdog organizations say it actually weakens protections.
Farmers have been using dicamba since the 1960s, but issues emerged about a decade ago, when it was first approved to spray on soybeans and cotton plants engineered to resist the weedkiller. Because farmers could spray it over the top of those growing plants, its use increased later in the growing season.