MDA Announces June 30 Cutoff Date of Dicamba Herbicide for 2021

Dec 10, 2020


MDA Announces June 30 Cutoff Date

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) today announced it will follow federal registration and label usage for the herbicide dicamba on dicamba-tolerant soybeans in Minnesota for the 2021 growing season.

In October, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it registered XtendiMax with VaporGrip Technology by Bayer (EPA Reg. No. 264-1210), Engenia by BASF (EPA Reg. No. 7969-472), and Tavium Plus VaporGrip Technology by Syngenta (EPA Reg. No. 352-913) with new control measures to curb alleged off-site movement (spray drift and/or volatilization) issues.

From 2018 to 2020, the MDA had placed an annual June 20 cutoff date on registered dicamba products based on research and pesticide misuse complaints – a cutoff date that was not included on the federal label – to curb off-site movement; however, the EPA has now limited states’ abilities to impose further application restrictions.

New federal label requirements for the products include:

  • An application cutoff date of June 30 (unless growth stage cutoff comes first)
  • Requiring an approved pH-buffering agent, also known as a volatility reducing agent, be tank mixed with dicamba products prior to all applications.
  • Requiring a downwind buffer of 240 feet and 310 feet in areas where listed endangered species are located
  • Additional recordkeeping items

In addition to the June 30 cutoff date, Xtendimax and Tavium have crop growth stage cutoffs.

The MDA is also requiring product makers provide approved education and training of applicators and provide more Minnesota-specific data on the use of dicamba to inform future department decisions.

If you have any questions regarding the 2021 growing season please reach out to your Central Counties advisor.

Information from MDA article

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