By Jim Steadman
The U.S. EPA has reached an agreement with Monsanto, BASF and DuPont on measures to further minimize the potential for drift to damage neighboring crops from the use of dicamba formulations used to control weeds in genetically modified cotton and soybeans.
New requirements for over-the-top use of dicamba will allow farmers to make informed choices for seed purchases for the 2018 growing season.
“Today’s actions are the result of intensive, collaborative efforts, working side by side with the states and university scientists from across the nation who have first-hand knowledge of the problem and workable solutions,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, in making the October 13 announcement. “Our collective efforts with our state partners ensure we are relying on the best, on-the-ground, information.”
In a series of discussions, EPA worked cooperatively with states, land-grant universities and the pesticide manufacturers to examine the underlying causes of recent crop damage. EPA carefully reviewed the available information and developed tangible changes to be implemented during the 2018 growing season.
Manufacturers have voluntarily agreed to label changes that impose additional requirements for over-the-top use of these products in 2018, including:
Classifying products as “restricted use,” permitting only certified applicators with special training – and those under their supervision – to apply them, as well as dicamba-specific training for all certified applicators to reinforce proper use
Requiring farmers to maintain specific records regarding the use of these products to improve compliance with label restrictions
Limiting applications to when maximum wind speeds are below 10 mph (from 15 mph) to reduce potential spray drift
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