The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has once again approved the weedkiller dicamba for use on genetically modified soybean and cotton crops. Agency officials claim the pesticide is vital for farmers, though they have introduced new rules to limit "drifting," which happens when the chemical travels through the air to nearby fields.

Environmental groups and local advocates have criticized the move. They argue that dicamba drift has already ruined vegetable patches and killed trees, and they believe the new safety limits do not go far enough. Meanwhile, a major dicamba manufacturer stated that this federal approval now allows them to ask individual states for permission to sell the product.