In 2023, Minnesota farmers will be subject to the same state-specific use restrictions for three dicamba herbicide products as they were last year, according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
The affected dicamba formulations are BASF’s Engenia, Syngenta’s Tavium and Bayer’s XtendiMax. These are the only dicamba products labeled for use with dicamba tolerant soybeans. The restrictions aim to curb off-site movement of the products.
The three products are approved for use in Minnesota in 2023 with the following restrictions:
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date cancellation. No application may be made south of Interstate 94 after June 12. North of Interstate 94, use is prohibited after June 30.
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temperature shutdown. No application may be made if the field air temperature at the time of application is above 85 degrees F or if the National Weather Service forecast maximum temperature for the nearest available location for the day exceeds 85 degrees.
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Users can download these restrictions from the product manufacturer’s website and must be in the user’s possession at the time of application.
“These restrictions reflect what we did in 2022, when we saw a sharp drop in complaints of off-target movements compared to the previous year,” says Thom Petersen, Agriculture Commissioner. “These products must be used without affecting neighboring homes, yards and gardens. The Minnesota-specific limits are based on science from our drift research and discussions with the University of Minnesota Extension and the Minnesota Soybean Growers Drift Taskforce.”
During the 2022 growing season, the MDA received 25 formal complaints and eight responses to an informal survey, all concerning alleged off-target movements. This was a significant decrease from 2021, which saw a total of 304 formal complaints and survey responses received.
Federal requirements
Additional state requirements for the products that appear on product labels include:
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that require an approved pH buffer, also known as a volatility reducer, to be tank mixed with dicamba products prior to all applications
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requires a downwind buffer of 240 feet – and 310 feet in areas where listed endangered species are located
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be familiar with additional records
In addition to the cutoff date, XtendiMax and Tavium have cutoffs in the vegetative phase of the crop.
Every year since dicamba was first approved for use in dicamba-tolerant soybeans during the 2017 growing season, the MDA has filed complaints alleging off-site movement into neighboring properties. The chemical is very volatile and may harm non-target plant species through drift and/or volatilization. Volatility is affected by several factors including temperature, relative humidity, application rate and harvest stage. The annual total of complaints was 32 in 2022, 304 in 2021, 128 in 2020, 20 in 2019, 51 in 2018 and 249 in 2017.
In Minnesota, Engenia, Tavium and XtendiMax, formulations of dicamba are only approved for use on dicamba-tolerant soybeans and are “restricted-use pesticides.” The Dicamba products are for retail sale and use by certified applicators only.
Pesticide product registration is renewed annually in Minnesota.
Source: Minnesota Department of Agriculture
