Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 9/26/18

A Bayer executive defended the herbicide dicamba as an important tool that helps farmers fight damaging weeds, even as he acknowledged that it faced "some challenges." Use of dicamba has doubled to 50 million acres since it was first rolled out onto fields two years ago, Brett Begemann, chief operating officer for Bayer's crop science division, told reporters on Monday at a Bayer office in Kansas City, Mo.

Despite its initial popularity with farmers, dicamba has had a devastating unintended effect: Drift from the herbicide has ruined millions of acres of crops across the Midwest. The damage has been so widespread that some environmental and consumer groups have called for EPA to deny re-registration of the herbicide — a decision that's expected soon.

Monsanto, which was just acquired by Bayer, attributed the damage to farmers misapplying the product.

About that deal: Bayer and Monsanto are getting into the nitty gritty of combining their operations since they were finally given the green light to do so by the Justice Department over the summer. Begemann said "there's work to be done in the next months" as parts of Monsanto are folded into its German parent.

As for farmers, Begemann said they've had some "concerns" about the deal and how it might affect them, but they've made clear that their top priority is having the option of new and better products. "What they're asking about is how fast are you going to bring me innovation," he said.