Court Ruling on Dicamba Products for Xtend Soybeans

By: Mark Loux, OSU Extension

Article Updated on June 9, 2020 at 8:15 AM due to EPA statement Monday night.

As most readers are probably aware, last week, the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision in a case concerning the use of dicamba on Xtend soybeans.  This decision essentially voided the labels for XtendiMax, Engenia, and FeXapan that allows use on soybeans.  Tavium was not included in this decision, because it was not approved for use when the case was initially filed.  Last week’s entry in the OSU Ag Law blog covers this decision well and can be found here.  EPA issued a statement Monday night, providing further guidance about what this decision means for the use of dicamba for the rest of this season, which can be found here.  The critical part of that is as follows:

“Details of the Order

EPA’s order addresses the sale, distribution, and use of existing stocks of the three affected dicamba products – XtendiMax with vapor grip technology, Engenia, and FeXapan.

  1. Distribution or sale by any person is generally prohibited except for ensuring proper disposal or return to the registrant.
  2. Growers and commercial applicators may use existing stocks that were in their possession on June 3, 2020, the effective date of the Court decision. Such use must be consistent with the product’s previously-approved label, and may not continue after July 31, 2020.”

The next most immediate question concerns the options for control of glyphosate-resistant weeds in Xtend soybeans, for those growers who have not already purchased their dicamba products, since the EPA info states that no additional sales can occur.  Tavium, the premix of s-metolachlor and dicamba with VaporGrip, was not part of this decision and remained an option.  Tavium can be applied through the V4 soybean stage, or through 45 days after planting, whichever occurs first.  Aside from this option, without the availability of dicamba to use POST, the Xtend soybean becomes just an old school Roundup Ready soybean.  Weeds of most significant concern here are marestail, waterhemp, Palmer amaranth, giant ragweed, and also common ragweed in NW Ohio.  The primary POST option would be a mix of glyphosate with an ALS inhibitor (Classic, FirstRate, etc.) or PPO inhibitor (Flexstar and generics, Cobra/Phoenix, Ultra Blazer).   However, these five weeds are mostly glyphosate and ALS resistant in Ohio, and PPO resistance is reasonably common in waterhemp and also occurs in some common ragweed and Palmer amaranth populations.  None of these mixtures will be effective for marestail control.  Effectiveness on the other weeds will be variable among and within fields across Ohio.  Some giant ragweed populations are still partially sensitive to glyphosate, so plant size and glyphosate rate and the number of applications make a difference.  We would expect a complete lack of waterhemp control in some fields.  A third option would be to replant Xtend soybean fields with another type of soybean that provides for the POST options of 2,4-D choline and/or glufosinate – Enlist, LibertyLink, or LLGT27 – should seed still be available.

The Iowa State University ICM blog (June 5) covered the issue of waterhemp control in the absence of dicamba:

Of the alternatives available, we believe a Group 14 herbicide (acifluorfen, fomesafen, lactofen) has a better chance of controlling waterhemp than glyphosate due to the greater prevalence of glyphosate-resistant waterhemp. Group 14 herbicides should be applied as soon as waterhemp is found in a field, and a Group 15 herbicide (acetochlor, dimethenamid, pyroxasulfone, S-metolachlor) should be included to provide residual control after the POST application. Glyphosate or other appropriate tank-mix partners should be included in the mix to broaden the spectrum of weeds controlled.

Preemergence herbicides appear to be providing effective control in most soybean fields at this time, but the timeliness of application of the Group 14 herbicide will be critical. Spraying waterhemp between 0.5 and 1.5 inches in height is ideal. Follow all recommendations on the Group 14 label to maximize effectiveness, including carrier volume, nozzle type, spray pressure, spray additives, and sprayer speed.”

 

Dicamba Takes Another Blow: Court of Appeals Vacates Dicamba Registration

By: Peggy Hall, OSU Extension

Dicamba has had its share of legal challenges, and a decision issued yesterday dealt yet another blow when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals  vacated the product’s registration with the U.S. EPA.  In doing so, the court held that the EPA’s approval of the registration violated the provisions of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (“FIFRA”), which regulates the use of herbicides and other chemicals in the U.S.  Here’s a summary of how the court reached its decision and a few thoughts on the uncertainty that follows the opinion.

The challenge:  EPA’s approval of three dicamba products Continue reading

Recommendations for Soybeans Planted in June

By: Laura Lindsey, OSU Extension

While progress is way ahead of last year, soybean planting is spilling into June. (According to USDA NASS, 53% of soybean acreage was planted by May 24, 2020. Last year, at the same time, only 11% of soybean acreage was planted.) As planting continues into June, farmers may want to consider adjusting their cultural practices:

Row spacing. Soybean planted in narrow rows (7.5 or 15-inch row width) generally yields higher than soybean planted in wide rows (30-inch). The row spacing for June-planted soybeans should be 7.5 to 15 inches, if possible. Continue reading

Summer Weather Outlook

By: Jim Noel, for OSU Extension C.O.R.N. Newslettter

Our attention now turns to the summer growing season and what is in store. Some things are different this summer.

  • The ocean temperatures are cooling in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean while ocean temperatures are above normal in the Gulf of Mexico into parts of the Caribbean. In addition, Lake Erie water temperatures will trend from cooler to warmer than normal as we get late into the growing season.
  • With recent rains, soil moisture has increased again in Ohio and remains above normal in much of the corn and soybean belt. The soils are not as wet as 2019 but with above normal soil moisture will come plenty of evapotranspiration. In 2019 for Ohio, soil moisture generally ranked in the top 1-5% wettest while currently we are in the top 5-15% wettest. https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/Soilmst_Monitoring/Figures/daily/curr.w.rank.daily.gif
  • Research shows 30-50% of summer rains come from local evapotranspiration from crops, trees etc. Given the wet soil conditions overall, expect a wetter than normal first half of summer, but not like last summer. We are likely to see the typical summer thunderstorm complexes in June and July ride along the high moisture content boundary of the corn crop from the northern Plains to Ohio.
  • Rainfall becomes more uncertain the second half of summer. Given the warm Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean it will likely favor increased storm activity down there. When that happens we often dry out some at least in late summer up here.
  • The outlook for June-August calls for slightly above normal temperatures with rainfall going from (above normal) first half to (normal or below normal) second half of summer. The above normal temperatures are favored more on overnight low temperatures versus daytime high temperatures due to soil moisture.

The latest climate outlooks are available at: https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/

Scab Risk Low, but Keep Your Eyes on Leaf Diseases

By: Pierce Paul, OSU Extension. Previously published in OSU Exension’s C.O.R.N. Newsletter

According to the FHB forecasting system, the risk for head scab continues to be low across the state of Ohio, for wheat flowering (or barley heading) today, May 18. In spite of the wet weather we have had, it has been very cold over the last week to 10 days. Cold temperatures between heading and flowering usually reduce the risk for scab, as the disease develops best under warm, wet, or humid conditions. However, you must continue to be vigilant as the crop in the northern half of the state approach heading and anthesis. If it continues to rain and stays wet and humid over the next few weeks, the risk for scab and vomitoxin will increase as the temperature increases. Be prepared to treat fields with Prosaro, Caramba, or Miravis Ace. Click on this link for more details on fungicide application for head scab control: https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2020-13/managing-head-scab-fungicides-qa

Continue reading

Ohio Corn, Soybean and Wheat Enterprise Budgets – Projected Returns for 2020

By: Barry Ward, Leader, Production Business Management, College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Ohio State University Extension

COVID-19 has created an unusual situation that has negatively affected crop prices and lowered certain crop input costs. Many inputs for the 2020 production year were purchased or the prices/costs were locked in prior to the spread of this novel coronavirus. Some costs have been recently affected or may yet be affected. Lower fuel costs may allow for lower costs for some compared to what current budgets indicate.

Production costs for Ohio field crops are forecast to be largely unchanged from last year with lower fertilizer expenses offset by slight increases in some other costs. Variable costs for corn in Ohio for 2020 are projected to range from $359 to $452 per acre depending on land productivity. Variable costs for 2020 Ohio soybeans are projected to range from $201 to $223 per acre. Wheat variable expenses for 2020 are projected to range from $162 to $198 per acre. Continue reading

Cold Weather Impact on Corn and Soybean

By: Alexander Lindsey, Laura Lindsey. OSU Extension. Originally published in OSU Extension C.O.R.N. Newsletter

In Ohio, between May 9 and 10, temperatures were as low as 26°F with some areas even receiving snow. The effect on corn and soybean depends on both temperature, duration of low temperature, and growth stage of the plant. The soil can provide some temperature buffering capacity, especially if soil is wet. Water is approximately 4x more resistant to temperature changes than air or dry soil, and thus will buffer the soil from experiencing large temperature changes as air temperatures drop. Deeper planted seeds may also be more resistant to large temperature swings. Continue reading

How Cold is Too Cold for Wheat at Feekes 8 and Feekes 10.5.1 Growth Stages?

By: Laura Lindsey, Alexander Lindsey, Aaron Wilson. OSU Extension. Originally published in OSU Extension C.O.R.N. Newsletter.

Every year presents a different set of challenges for agricultural production across Ohio. Last year, northwest and west central Ohio could not escape the rain. This year, Ohio cannot seem to shake the chill. An unusual weather pattern set up across the Midwest and Northeast U.S. late last week and into the weekend that led to some snow in spots and record or near-record lows across the state (Figure 1). Overnight lows for a few locations in Ohio on Saturday May 9, 2020 include 26°F outside of Toledo, 27° in Lancaster and Youngstown, and 28°F in Dayton, Cincinnati, and New Philadelphia. Many areas spent more than eight hours below 32°F with about 4 hours spent below 30°F. Naturally, this would raise questions concerning potential wheat damage.

Map

Figure 1. Daily overnight lows based on station observations for May 9-10, 2020. Figures generated at Midwest Regional Climate Center. Continue reading

Burndown and Residual Herbicide Issues

By: Mark Loux, OSU Extension

Depending upon where you are in the state, it’s possible right now to be experiencing delays in getting anything done, progress in planting but delays in herbicide application, weather too dry to activate residual herbicides, and/or reduced burndown herbicide effectiveness on big weeds due to cold weather.  What’s become a typical Ohio spring.  Some information relative to questions that OSU Extension educators have passed on to us:

1.  Residual herbicides and rainfall.  Residual herbicides do vary in the relative amounts of rain needed for “activation”, or adequate movement into the soil to reach germinating seeds.  Most growers are applying mixtures or premixes of several products, so we’re not sure these differences are as important as the overriding principle here.  Residual herbicide treatments need to receive a half to one inch of rain within a week or so after tillage or an effective burndown treatment, to control weeds that can will start to emerge at that time.  This varies with timing of application and weather. Continue reading

Interested in Soil Health? Learn together with OSU Extension

By: Steve Culman, John Fulton, Jason Hartschuh, CCA, Elizabeth Hawkins, Eric Richer, CCA, OSU Extension

Improving soil health (SH) can provide a variety of benefits including improved water infiltration, increased water holding capacity, and increased nutrient availability. However, it can be challenging to quantify these benefits in the field.

In 2020, the eFields program is kicking off an effort to help better understand how management practices influence soil health and ultimately water quality. OSU Extension has worked to identify a few soil tests that can provide helpful indicators of improved soil health. Though several health tests exist, we focused on tests that are simple, economical, and repeatable. Continue reading