News
Illinois ag department reminds farmers of state dicamba regulations
Illinois specific dicamba regulations for 2021 remain the same as last year.
Brad Beaver, Acting Chief of Environmental Programs for the Illinois Department of Agriculture tells Brownfield the most common questions they get asked are about training, which all applicators must complete annually.
“Trainings are offered through the registrants so each of the registrants for Engenia, XtendiMax and Tavium all offer online training and some in person that will suffice your requirements for that.”
He says the application cutoff date in Illinois is June 20th, ten days sooner than the federal label. Dicamba cannot be applied on days where the forecasted temperature is 85 degrees or higher. Applicators must check the fieldwatch website for specialty crops and apiaries in the area, and they cannot spray when the wind is blowing towards a residential area or nature reserve.
Beaver says each product has a form that applicators should use for thorough record keeping to prove they are in compliance with the label.
Beaver hopes there are no mid-season decisions by the courts to vacate dicamba labels like last year, but if that happens again, he says they are prepared to keep farmers informed.
“The last time that happened we put together a series of FAQ’s that addressed that decision and we would plan on doing the same thing if that happened again.”
A list of frequently asked questions and any updates will be on their website.
