A federal government regulator says there is nothing wrong with the chemical Buctril M.
Farmers say this year’s version of the herbicide isn’t working the way it is supposed to. But the Pest Management Regulatory Agency has tested the Bayer CropScience product and says it performs to label specifications.
“The product meets requirements,” said Bill Brass, regional pesticide officer with the agency.
Buctril M may meet government standards but it hasn’t lived up to the expectations of many farmers, said Barry Halvorson, a custom sprayer from Provost, Alta., an area from where most of the complaints stem.
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He has compiled a list of 37 farmers who said weeds like wild buckwheat, stinkweed and redroot pigweed appear to die on initial contact with Buctril M, only to spring back to life a few weeks later.
Halvorson said the herbicide is not doing its job.
Bayer has conducted its own investigation of approximately 15 producer complaints and determined it is an “improper coverage” issue, said company spokesperson Derrick Rozdeba.
“Buctril M is primarily a contact herbicide and adequate plant coverage is essential for optimum effectiveness.”
He said factors such as low water volumes, high application speed, improper droplet size as well as the stage and density of weed populations can restrict the amount of chemical that reaches each weed. That’s what is causing the regrowth, not a faulty batch of a chemical that has a 35 year performance record, said Rozdeba.
“The product has been applied to millions of acres across Canada with exceptional results. Unfortunately, in one pocket, there has been problems with coverage.”
The pocket he is referring to is Provost, but farmers in Saskatchewan and Manitoba have reported similar problems.
Some complainants have hired a private investigator to document their troubles and help seek compensation from Bayer.
Garry Junop, owner of Back-Track Investigations and Special Services Ltd., a Saskatoon firm specializing in farm chemical and seed complaints, said there is no doubt there is a significant weed problem in fields that have been sprayed with Buctril M. And farmers are not to blame.
“We’ve certainly proven it’s not due to any type of producer error,” said Junop.
His list of clients includes custom sprayers, farmers who have sprayed their own crops and those who had their neighbours do it.
“It doesn’t matter who sprayed, when they sprayed or what. It just failed.”
Junop estimates some of his clients will lose 20 percent of their production to weeds, and there will be clean-up costs in years to come.
“The producers are going to have an unbelievable weed infestation come harvest time,” said the investigator, who is still documenting evidence.
Halvorson said a group of farmers is considering legal action against Bayer but hasn’t hired a lawyer yet.
“You’ve got to do some serious thinking before you do something like that.”
He said they plan to meet in the second week of August to discuss their options. In the meantime they are bracing for what could be a difficult harvest.
Buckwheat is the weed he fears the most. Farmers who wanted to straight cut their crops won’t be able to because buckwheat is too green and will heat up in the bin. It can also cause problems with the pick-up reels on combines.
“It wraps up. Takes out bearings. Rips belts off. It’s nasty stuff,” said Halvorson.
