New Minnesota Restrictions For Dicamba

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's (MDA) request for new restrictions on dicamba. Under the new 2 year Federal EPA label the MDA did not have the authority to add additional restrictions for dicamba use in Minnesota. So, the MDA had to ask the EPA to add the additional restrictions.

Minnesota Commissioner of Agriculture Thom Peterson said we put the request in last fall and were a little disappointed it took the EPA this long to decide on our proposed restrictions. However, I think most farmers had a pretty good idea that the EPA would allow the additional restrictions. The restrictions apply to all the approved dicamba formulations for Minnesota, Engenia by BASF, Tavium by Syngenta and XtendiMax by Bayer.

The new restrictions pertain to a date and temperature cutoff. In Minnesota dicamba has a cutoff application date of June 30 north of Interstate 94. South of Interstate 94 is June 12. In addition "no application shall be made if the air temperature of the field at the time of application is over 85 degrees Fahrenheit or if the National Weather Service's forecasted high temperature for the nearest available location for the day exceeds 85 degrees Fahrenheit."

attachment-220317_006

The reason the MDA asked for additional restrictions was because of off target complaints filed with the MDA. In 2017 there were 249, 2018 there were 51, 2019 the number dropped to 20. Then the number of complaints increased to 128 in 2020 and last year 2021 the number increased dramatically to 304. Click on the link above and listen to MDA Commissioner Thom Peterson talk dicamba use in Minnesota and the new restrictions!