Acting Agriculture Director John Sullivan said the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) will announce a state restriction on dicamba use, possibly by Feb. 28.

 

Speaking to the Illinois Farm Bureau Governmental Affairs Leadership Conference Tuesday, Sullivan stressed action is needed to reduce pesticide misuse complaints that reached about 550 in 2018.

 

IDOA is considering a cut-off date for dicamba applications, Sullivan told reporters, but declined to specify a date. “If you’re going to do something (with dicamba restrictions), it has to be done right away,” and the ag industry needs to be informed, the acting director said.

 

An idea considered would restrict applications based on temperatures, but Sullivan said applying regulations based on temperature and wind “would be extremely difficult.” Another idea would restrict applications based on a tier of dates from south to north, but Sullivan indicated that restriction would cause problems for farmers who farm across the tier boundaries, for example.

 

Click Here to read more.