Photo: Cattle retreating under Mesquite, to escape the Texas sun. © 2017 Delena Norris-Tull
Modern use of Herbicides
Summaries of the research and commentary by Dr. Delena Norris-Tull, Professor Emerita of Science Education, University of Montana Western, October 2020.
In interviews conducted by Becky McMillen in Wyoming, Steven McNamee, Assistant Supervisor for the Laramie County Weed and Pest District reported that, “When I went to work in 1970, we had 2,4-D and Tordon 212. Tordon 212 is a mixture of 2,4-D and Tordon. The next new chemical I remember was dicamba, or BANVEL. Then RoundUp came along. And now you’ve got the Telars and Escorts and all those kind of chemicals. But at first, we had 2,4-D and Tordon 212, the butyl esters. Back then, the butyl esters were not low volatility. You had to be very careful about where you sprayed them. They could travel on a hot day, a long ways. They could do a lot of damage, especially to trees.”
In 2017, John Samson, Agronomist for the Environmental Services Department, Wyoming Department of Transportation told me, “Weed and Pest management in Wyoming and Montana is 90-95% herbicides…. Wyoming is now spending up to $3-4 million a year in roadside herbicide spraying contracts. The State of Wyoming contracts out the herbicide spraying to the County Weed and Pest organizations, less so to private spray contractors. This has been a very effective and economical system.”
Montana uses a similar system. The Montana Department of Transportation contracts out weed control to the Counties, which hire individuals to apply the herbicides along roadways.
In 2020, Ray Willard, Maintenance Landscape Architect for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), told me, “The WSDOT spends about $2.5 million annually on management of noxious weeds. About 80% of that funding pays for herbicides and application of herbicides.”
The following sections provide information on some of the most widely used modern herbicides:
Next Sections on Herbicides:
Modern use of Herbicides
Summaries of the research and commentary by Dr. Delena Norris-Tull, Professor Emerita of Science Education, University of Montana Western, October 2020.
In interviews conducted by Becky McMillen in Wyoming, Steven McNamee, Assistant Supervisor for the Laramie County Weed and Pest District reported that, “When I went to work in 1970, we had 2,4-D and Tordon 212. Tordon 212 is a mixture of 2,4-D and Tordon. The next new chemical I remember was dicamba, or BANVEL. Then RoundUp came along. And now you’ve got the Telars and Escorts and all those kind of chemicals. But at first, we had 2,4-D and Tordon 212, the butyl esters. Back then, the butyl esters were not low volatility. You had to be very careful about where you sprayed them. They could travel on a hot day, a long ways. They could do a lot of damage, especially to trees.”
In 2017, John Samson, Agronomist for the Environmental Services Department, Wyoming Department of Transportation told me, “Weed and Pest management in Wyoming and Montana is 90-95% herbicides…. Wyoming is now spending up to $3-4 million a year in roadside herbicide spraying contracts. The State of Wyoming contracts out the herbicide spraying to the County Weed and Pest organizations, less so to private spray contractors. This has been a very effective and economical system.”
Montana uses a similar system. The Montana Department of Transportation contracts out weed control to the Counties, which hire individuals to apply the herbicides along roadways.
In 2020, Ray Willard, Maintenance Landscape Architect for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), told me, “The WSDOT spends about $2.5 million annually on management of noxious weeds. About 80% of that funding pays for herbicides and application of herbicides.”
The following sections provide information on some of the most widely used modern herbicides:
- Atrazine Herbicide
- Dacthal (DCPA) Herbicide
- Dicamba Herbicide
- Glyphosate Herbicide
- Paraquat Dichloride
- Picolinic acid family of herbicides
Next Sections on Herbicides: