Search Site   
Current News Stories
Solar eclipse, new moon coming April 8
Mystery illness affecting dairy cattle in Texas Panhandle
Teach others to live sustainably
Gun safety begins early
Hard-cooked eggs recipes great for Easter, anytime
Michigan carrot producers to vote on program continuation
Suggestions to celebrate 50th wedding anniversary
USDA finalizes new ‘Product of the USA’ labeling rule 
U.S. weather outlooks currently favoring early planting season
Weaver Popcorn Hybrids expanding and moving to new facility
Role of women in agriculture changing Hoosier dairy farmer says
   
News Articles
Search News  
   
2020 dicamba restrictions 
now permanent in Illinois
 
By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The cutoff date and weather restrictions for over-the-top applications of dicamba issued by the Illinois Department of Agriculture in 2020 are now permanent. The in-season restrictions, which include a June 20 shut-off date and an 85 degree outdoor temperature limit for applications, resulted in an 80 percent decrease in complaints from the record-high number of allegations of off-target dicamba applications that were registered with the IDOA in 2019. 
An extension of the rules in 2021 required dicamba applicators to consult the FieldWatch sensitive crop registry to determine whether sensitive crops are growing nearby, and closely monitor wind direction. The regulations have helped reduce total dicamba complaints received by the IDOA from 723 in 2019 to 161 in 2021.
According to Kevin Johnson, executive director of the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association (IFCA), the rules are final and the cutoff date for applications cannot likely be adjusted in the case of a later than usual planting season, such as in 2022. “To change (the rules) now would take a very big process, and isn’t something that could happen overnight,” he said. “These are final rules that went through a joint committee of the Illinois General Assembly.”
While Johnson lauds the progress he and other Illinois farmers have made in reducing dicamba misuse, he points out that dicamba demand — at least as a post-emergence herbicide — may be waning due to new soybean hybrid technologies. 
“One thing that changed last year is Bayer coming out with Xtend Flex. That meant that those soybeans could also be sprayed with Liberty. A lot of people in our area might now be spraying dicamba as their burn-down but coming back with a Liberty-type product on their back end,” he said. “Do I think as many guys were spraying dicamba post-emergence in 2021? No, but that is why Liberty is in high demand right now. More guys are using Xtend Flex technology in their soybean, and not using as much dicamba and using Liberty as their post drip.”
To help applicators of dicamba and other products reduce spray drift — the leading cause of complaints made to the IDOA annually — the IFCA recently issued best management practices (BMPs) for guidance. Tops among the recommendations is applying products only during optimal weather conditions, and adopting proven drift reduction strategies.
“I think one of the most important things an applicator can watch out for is inversion, or when you see those hazy clouds in the morning, or late at night. Also the extreme heat, because you are asking for issues there,” said Johnson. “You also have to do tank clean-out. You can’t use dicamba one day and another product the next day without a complete clean-out; six ounces of an active product in a 1,000 gallon tank can make for a bad day. And even with burn-downs, you can’t spray in high winds. Know your wind conditions, use the low-drift nozzles, keep your beans low to the ground — 20 to 24 inches off the ground, not three feet. All these things help keep the product where it needs to stay.”
Most importantly, according to Johnson, applicators need to explicitly follow label instructions for the product they are using.
“As far as rules and strategies, the only thing that has changed since last year is that these are now permanent rules in the state of Illinois,” said Johnson. “The most important rules are these: no spraying after June 20, and no spraying if the National Weather Service forecast issues a forecast for above 85 degrees. Consult with FieldWatch for any sensitive crops around you, know if you have endangered species or nature preserves nearby and use buffers.”
As per label instructions, all applications of dicamba must be made by licensed applicators. To achieve certification, the IFCA offers online and in person IDOA-approved training courses through their website (www.ifca.org). Also included on the IFCA website are all label requirements for dicamba products and a listing of locations of all Illinois nature preserves. “Everything you need to know about dicamba is on that website,” according to Johnson. 

5/17/2022