Please click on the links below for on-line and webinar training opportunities for dicamba label training. Completing any of these trainings will meet the requirement for dicamba training no matter which product you are applying to soybean.
BASF (Engenia): Applicator Training (engeniaherbicide.com)
Bayer (XtendiMax): Dicamba Training and Application Requirements | Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System
Syngenta (Tavium): Tavium Application and Stewardship | Syngenta US (syngenta-us.com)
2024 Illinois Dicamba Label IDOA Update
The restrictions for dicamba use on soybeans by the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) are the same restrictions required in 2023. Dicamba label training is still required every year prior to applying dicamba over-the-top of soybeans. You can complete any one of the three trainings for dicamba application to soybeans no matter which dicamba product you plan on using. Below you will find a list of dicamba trainings to choose from:
Below you will find the restrictions in addition to the USEPA federal label:
- A pesticide containing dicamba shall not be applied on soybeans if the air temperature at 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 of application exceeds 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Local National Weather Service forecasts are available at https://www.weather.gov.
- Application on soybeans of a pesticide containing dicamba shall not be made after June 12th of each year.
- Before applying a pesticide containing dicamba on soybeans, the applicator shall consult the FieldWatch sensitive crop registry (https://www.fieldwatch.com) and comply with all associated recordkeeping and label requirements.
- Application on soybeans of a pesticide containing dicamba shall not be made if the wind is blowing toward: any Illinois Nature Preserves Commission site that is adjacent to the field of application; or an adjacent residential area.
IFCA receives many calls regarding the importance of recordkeeping. IFCA stresses that you fill out all questions on the recordkeeping forms below. Failure to complete the entire form can lead to monetary fines following pesticide complaints. See below for links to the dicamba recordkeeping forms:
IFCA RECEIVES UPDATE FROM EPA ON EXISTING STOCKS ORDER FOR DICAMBA
On February 6, 2024, a ruling by the U.S. District Court of Arizona vacating the 2020 registrations for over-the-top (OTT) dicamba products, IFCA received this information from the EPA on existing stocks of dicamba for the 2024 cropping season:
On February 14, 2024, EPA issued an Existing Stocks Order for Dicamba Products Previously Registered for Over-the-Top Use on Dicamba-Tolerant Cotton and Soybean. This Order addresses use of the formerly-registered dicamba products and authorizes limited sale and distribution of dicamba products that are already in the possession of growers or in the channels of trade and outside the control of the pesticide companies.
Existing Stocks Order
EPA has issued an Existing Stocks Order to allow for limited sale and distribution of dicamba OTT products that were already in the possession of growers or in the channels of trade and outside the control of pesticide companies as of February 6, 2024. The order also prohibits the use of these dicamba products except where the use is consistent with the previously approved labeling, which included measures intended to reduce environmental damage caused by offsite movement of the pesticide.
This Existing Stocks Order is limited in time and scope, allowing for certain sale, distribution, and use of existing stocks of these formerly-registered dicamba products for the 2024 growing season. EPA has received ample evidence that millions of gallons of OTT dicamba had already entered the channels of trade prior to February 6, 2024. Additionally, most growers have already placed orders for dicamba-tolerant seed for the 2024 growing season and, given the timing of these registrations being vacated, are not able to pivot to another herbicide-tolerant seed and herbicide system.
The issuance of this Existing Stocks Order will help ensure that growers who already possess OTT dicamba and/or have already purchased dicamba-tolerant seeds and thus are reliant on the availability of specific products solely for the 2024 growing season: (1) apply only dicamba formulations designed for use over the top of dicamba-tolerant soybean and cotton, rather than violating FIFRA by misusing more volatile dicamba formulations which could lead to greater offsite movement (and thus potential damage to non-dicamba tolerant crops and other plants); and (2) apply these OTT dicamba products consistent with restrictions intended to reduce offsite movement and protect human health and the environment. Thus, it is necessary for EPA to issue an Existing Stocks Order to ensure that growers follow these directions for use, which were designed to reduce environmental damage caused by offsite movement.
Under this order, end users of existing stocks may only use the formerly-registered products consistent with the previously approved labeling for the products and must stop use of these products by the relevant dates laid out in the Order. Additional details regarding restrictions on the sale, distribution, and use of these formerly-registered products can be found in EPA’s Existing Stocks Order for Dicamba Products Previously Registered for Over-the-Top Use on Dicamba-Tolerant Cotton and Soybean. Click here to view that document.
Background
Dicamba is an herbicide used to target broadleaf weeds in agricultural and non-agricultural settings. The herbicide is registered for use at specified stages in agricultural crop fields of corn, cotton, sorghum, soybeans, sugarcane, and other crops. The dicamba products subject to the February 2024 vacatur were registered to be sprayed OTT of genetically engineered dicamba-tolerant soybeans and cotton after the crops have emerged from the ground. There are also dicamba products that are only registered for non-OTT applications. These products are applied earlier in the growing season before crop emergence while OTT products can be applied later in the growing season after crop emergence.
Dicamba was first registered for OTT uses on dicamba-tolerant cotton and soybeans in 2016. In 2017 and again in 2018, EPA amended the registrations of all OTT dicamba products following reports that growers had experienced crop damage and economic losses resulting from the off-site movement of dicamba. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit vacated the 2018 registrations in June 2020 on the basis that “EPA substantially understated risks that it acknowledged and failed entirely to acknowledge other risks.” Days after the court’s decision, EPA issued an order for the affected products that addressed existing stocks.
In October 2020, EPA issued new registrations for two dicamba products and extended the registration of an additional dicamba product until 2025. All three registrations included new measures that the Agency expected to prevent off-target movement and damage to non-target crops and other plants. Further state-specific amendments to the registrations occurred in 2022 and 2023.
In response to a lawsuit against EPA concerning these registrations, on February 6, 2024, a ruling by the U.S. District Court of Arizona vacated the 2020 registrations for OTT dicamba products XtendiMax, Engenia, and Tavium. As of February 6, 2024, these products are unregistered, and sale or distribution of these products is unlawful except as provided in EPA’s February 2024 existing stocks order.
IFCA will continue to update our members if any other actions are taken by USEPA.
Additional Resources:
The current labels are posted under the "Labels, Forms & Other Resources" link on this site.
If you have questions about dicamba use, please contact the Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association at 309-827-2774.