Post Dicamba June 12th Cutoff & 85 Degree Temperature Reminder
The June 12th application cutoff date for dicamba use over-the-top of soybeans is tomorrow. The projected forecast for much of the state shows elevated temperatures for the week. IFCA understands the pressure our ag retailer members are under to control weeds with the crop protection products available. Know that a violation of either the cut-off date, temperature restriction or lack of recordkeeping will be considered a willful violation of the Illinois Pesticide Act. We encourage you to visit with your customers regarding label requirements so that they fully understand what is required in Illinois.
We would also like to remind our members that the June 12th cutoff date will remain in place and there will not be an extension.
- Prohibiting over the top application on dicamba soybeans if the air temperature at the field at the time of application is over 85 degrees, or if the National Weather Service's forecasted high temperature for the nearest locations for the day of application exceeds 85 degrees. Refer to the Local National Weather Service forecasts at http://www.weather.gov.
- Requiring an approved pH-buffering agent (also called a Volatility Reduction Agent or VRA) to be tank mixed with over the top dicamba products prior to all applications to control volatility.
- Requiring a downwind buffer of 240 feet to protect sensitive areas and 310 feet in areas where listed species are located. (IFCA Note: To clarify, Illinois has 18 endangered species counties, refer to the following map. In these counties the downwind buffer to protect sensitive areas will be 310 feet and 57 feet on all other sides of the field. All labels will still have a "do not spray" if sensitive crops are downwind.)
- 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 label and recordkeeping requirements.
- Application on soybeans with a pesticide containing dicamba shall not be made if the wind is blowing towards:
- Any Illinois Nature Preserves Commission site that is adjacent to the field of application. Map of Illinois Nature Preserves Commission.
- An adjacent residential area.
To clarify, the 85-degree temperature restriction applies when weather.gov indicates a forecasted high of 86 degrees or more for the zip code of the field to be sprayed. In addition to viewing the graphic image of the forecasted high, you can also select "detailed forecast". The detailed forecast may indicate "high near 86", in which case IDA has stated that "high near 86" also means 86 degrees, and thus would also be a Do Not Spray Day.
IFCA encourages our members to keep detailed records of dicamba applications. All three-application recording-keeping forms can be viewed and downloaded here. To help our members avoid common recordkeeping mistakes and better understand what IDA expects when reviewing your records, we have updated our dicamba guidance document to highlight some critical items required when applying dicamba to soybeans. Click here to see the IFCA guidance document.
If you have questions, please contact KJ Johnson at (217) 369-1669.
If you have questions, please contact KJ Johnson at (217) 369-1669.