Some requirements depend on the product’s manufacturer

By Diego Flammini
News Reporter
Farms.com

Another U.S. state has released its own set of dicamba-specific application requirements.

Farmers in South Dakota now join North Dakota, Minnesota, Missouri and Tennessee in having to abide by state-specific rules for dicamba use. Legislators in Arkansas are still discussing an outright ban of dicamba application between mid-April and Halloween.

“There are several changes to the (dicamba) label over last year,” Paul O. Johnson, a weed science coordinator with South Dakota State University, wrote on Dec. 28.

All South Dakota applicators must have a Section 3 label, supplemental label and tank mix information from the manufacturer’s website no more than seven days before applying the product, according to the South Dakota Department of Agriculture (SDSA).

While the restrictions set out by other states and the Environmental Protection Agency apply to all dicamba, regardless of manufacturer, some of the South Dakota requirements change depending on which brand of dicamba a farmer uses.

Those producers using BASF’s Engenia herbicide must maintain a 110-foot buffer from the downwind outer edges of the field when applying the product.

Engenia users must also use a minimum of 10 gallons of water per acre.

Producers using Monsanto’s Xtendimax with Vapor Grip Technology and Dupont’s FeXapan with Vapor Grip Technology must maintain a 110-foot downwind buffer (when applying 22 fluid ounces per acre) between the last treated row and the closest downwind edge.

Farmers must also double the downwind buffer if applying 44 ounces of the product per acre and must use a minimum of 15 gallons of water per acre.

And growers using Dow AgroSciences’ Enlist Duo must maintain a 30-foot downwind field buffer.

South Dakota Soybean producers must follow more than 20 requirements when applying dicamba this growing season.

These requirements include:

• Spraying at no more than 24 inches above the crop canopy,
• Using agitation at all times during spraying,
• Only spraying weeds that are 4-inches tall or less, and
• Waiting a minimum of seven days between post applications.

Producers are also restricted in the time of day and specific wind speeds suitable for dicamba applications.

"It used to be 15 miles per hour, you couldn't spray over, now it's ten miles per hour,” J.D. Farley, an ag program specialist with the SDSA, told South Dakota Public Broadcasting on Dec. 20. “You can only spray from sunrise to sunset.  … (And) you have to attend a training before you can actually apply the product."

Farms.com has reached out to the South Dakota Soybean Association for comment on the new regulations and how they could impact local producers.