Dicamba

Dicamba Training Opportunities

By: Matt Reese, Ohio’s Country Journal/Ohio Ag Net

For those planning on planting dicamba tolerant crops next year, there is plenty of change coming in 2018 compared to last year.

The label requirements for spraying will be much different and training is being required for applicators.

“The new labels for Engenia, XtendiMax, and FeXapan have many new precautions that applicators need to be aware of,” said Mark Loux, Ohio State University Extension herbicide specialist. “An additional requirement is that anyone applying these products must attend an annual dicamba or group 4 herbicide-specific training.” Continue reading Dicamba Training Opportunities →

From Across the Field – A January Thaw

The thermometer has warmed up (relatively speaking) here in NW Ohio over the past couple of days, which is a welcome sight for many.  The recent cold snap was a bit rough on the office, as I think we have all battled a cold since the start of the new year. I had the pleasure of thawing out some pipes in my basement, as did many others as it appears, based on the scarcity of heat lamp bulbs at the store. The forecast for the end of this week and into the weekend is a mix of good and bad, as the welcome warmer temperatures look to bring with them a dose of snow, rain, or a wintery mix.

Looking back while fairly short lived, this recent blast of Arctic air, brought some of the colder temperatures that I can remember. My parents and grandparent talk about the blizzard of 1978, but was long before my time. However, a couple of other cold spells do stick out in my mind. I was in college during the Polar Vortex of 2014, where even Ohio State had a couple of snow days. Columbus drivers are bad enough on dry pavement, let alone on ice skates. Continue reading From Across the Field – A January Thaw →

Dicamba Restrictions Added

After statewide bans, multiple lawsuits and countless disgruntled farmers nationwide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has required the makers of dicamba, a controversial weed killer, to revise its label.

The label changes and new training requirements shift more responsibility into the hands of farmers to ensure if they apply dicamba, the herbicide does not spread to neighboring fields. The problem is the weed killer has been shown to easily go airborne and move far from its intended area, harming or killing plants and other crops along the way. Continue reading Dicamba Restrictions Added →

What Will Dicamba Changes Mean For Farmers?

By Peggy Kirk Hall, Asst. Professor, Agricultural & Resource Law and Ellen Essman, Law Fellow, Ohio State University

This fall, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an agreement with Monsanto, BASF and DuPont to change dicamba registration and labeling beginning with the 2018 growing season. EPA reports that the agreement was a voluntary measure taken by the manufacturers to minimize the potential of dicamba drift from “over the top” applications on genetically engineered soybeans and cotton, a recurring problem that has led to a host of regulatory and litigation issues across the Midwest and South. The upcoming changes might alleviate dicamba drift issues, but they also raise new concerns for farmers who will have more responsibility for dicamba applications. Continue reading What Will Dicamba Changes Mean For Farmers? →

New Dicamba Rules

By Emily Unglesbee
DTN Staff Reporter

ROCKVILLE, Md. (DTN) — Growers will have access to dicamba to spray on dicamba-tolerant crops in 2018, but the herbicides will come with new label restrictions and will be categorized as restricted use pesticides.

EPA announced Friday that the dicamba “registrants voluntarily agreed to registration and labeling changes including making these products restricted-use, record keeping requirements, and certain additional spray drift mitigation measures.” Continue reading New Dicamba Rules →