EPA Issues Dicamba Ruling and Gas Prices Rise Again

**Following an Arizona District Court’s vacating of the 2020 registration of over-the-top dicamba products, the EPA issued an Existing Stocks Order.

The order allows limited sale and distribution of dicamba products that were already in possession of growers OR in trade channels outside of the control of pesticide companies by February 6.

The order also prohibits the use of these products except where the use is consistent with the previously approved labeling.

**For the fourth straight week, the nation's average price of gas has risen 8.7 cents from a week ago to $3.26 per gallon.

The national average is up 16.7 cents from a month ago but 11.6 cents lower than a year ago.

The national average DIESEL price increased 10 cents last week and stands at $4.09 per gallon, 38 cents lower than a year ago.

**USDA’s Economic Research Service has new data showing rural employment levels are back to pre-COVID levels.

The pandemic affected employment in rural and urban areas differently.

In the second quarter of 2020, urban employment fell to 88% of pre-pandemic levels, while rural employment fell to 90%.

Unemployment during the pandemic reached a high of 13.3% in urban areas and 11.4% in rural areas, compared to pre-pandemic rates of 3.8 and 4.2%, respectively.