The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship recently announced that online dicamba trainings have been approved for farmers and applicators who wish to use dicamba herbicide products.

Farmers and applicators can access the online trainings or find details about any upcoming in-person trainings at DicambaTrainingIowa.org. The expanded training requirement is based on the need to provide Iowa farmers and applicators with training around the risks associated with dicamba and should help reduce problems associated with off-target movement.

“This past growing season showed how important it is that applicators closely follow all aspects of the product label when using dicamba products, and the training requirements are designed to help reduce off-site impact from the product,” says Mike Naig, Iowa ag secretary. “Approximately 200 in-person training events took place in Iowa from January to March, with more than 7,000 participants attending. With spring planting nearing, few in-person trainings are scheduled, so the online courses will ensure continued access for farmers and applicators.”

Help reduce dicamba drift problems
The dicamba herbicide products are XtendiMax with VaporGrip Technology, DuPont FeXapan Plus VaporGrip Technology and Engenia. These are restricted use pesticides that can only be applied by certified pesticide applicators who have completed the auxin-specific (dicamba) training.

Topics covered in the training are:
• new use pattern for dicamba-tolerant soybeans
• application requirements to include wind speed and direction, and use of a buffer
• temperature inversions
• changes in record-keeping requirements
• sprayer tank cleanout
• off-target movement

The Iowa Ag Department’s Pesticide Bureau is responsible for responding to complaints and investigating potential misuse of pesticides. It’s important all applicators read and follow label directions on any pesticide when using. It’s a violation of state and federal law to use a pesticide in a manner inconsistent with label directions.

If there is concern about a specific pesticide misuse incident, Iowans can file an incident report with the department’s Pesticide Bureau by calling 515‐281‐8591 or emailing [email protected]. This report must be filed within 60 days after the alleged date the damages occurred. More information about the Pesticide Bureau is at  iowaagriculture.gov/pesticides.asp.

EPA Office of Pesticide Programs web page on dicamba training requirements for over-the-top soybean and cotton use has a set of frequently asked questions to help explain the new training requirements. These requirements for using dicamba "over the top" (application to growing plants) will allow farmers to make informed choices for seed purchases for 2018 growing season. Information is at epa.gov.