Documents show how Monsanto and BASF sold dicamba even though they knew it would damage other crops

Dicamba herbicide manufacturers Monsanto and BASF knew their products would damage soybean and cotton crops that aren't genetically engineered to resist it, but sold it anyway, according to documents obtained by the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting. 

"Executives from Monsanto and BASF, a German chemical company that worked with Monsanto to launch the system, knew their dicamba weed killers would cause large-scale damage to fields across the United States but decided to push them on unsuspecting farmers anyway, in a bid to corner the soybean and cotton markets," Jonathan Hettinger reports. "Monsanto and BASF have denied for years that dicamba is responsible for damage, blaming farmers making illegal applications, weather events and disease. The companies insist that when applied according to the label, dicamba stays on target and is an effective tool for farmers."

The investigation also found that Monsanto limited testing that could delay or deny regulatory approval of dicamba, and that its investigations of drift incidents were designed to limit the company's liability or payouts to farmers, Hettinger reports. Read more here.