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Additional dicamba restrictions for Minnesota

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has announced new dicamba restrictions that include date and temperature cutoffs.

Commissioner Dave Frederickson says after careful consideration, the department decided EPA’s Restricted Use Pesticide label for 2018 did not go far enough.

“We felt that we needed to have a date certain in which no spray application should take place.  And we felt that (the EPA) left out the issue of air temperature, so we established that anything over 85 degrees Fahrenheit would be a no-go.”

MDA also established an application cutoff date of June 20th.

Minnesota Soybean Growers Dicamba Task Force chairman Bob Worth says the Association is pleased the restrictions align with their recommendations.

“The reason the Task Force never put a date on (the recommendations) is because Minnesota is a very large state from south to north.  And we didn’t know if one date would cover it.”

Worth has concerns June 20th might not work for growers in northern parts of Minnesota, but Frederickson tells Brownfield the state rule provides some flexibility.

“Let’s say we end up with an abnormal spring.  I think we’ll be able to make changes with an Executive Order or a Commissioner’s Order if it calls for it.  So (the date) isn’t necessarily locked in stone, but it’s locked.”

In Minnesota, the XtendiMax, Engenia, and FeXapan dicamba formulations are the only Restricted Use Pesticides for retail sale to be used exclusively by Certified Applicators in 2018.

 

Dave Frederickson audio:

 

Bob Worth audio:

 

 

 

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