The Farmer Logo

Restrictions add date and temperature regulations.

January 27, 2023

2 Min Read
crop sprayer in field
RESTRICTED USE: Three dicamba products labeled for use on dicamba-resistant soybeans in Minnesota have restrictions aimed at curbing off-site movement of the products. Farm Progress

Minnesota farmers in 2023 will operate under the same state-specific use restrictions as last year for three dicamba herbicide products, according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

The affected dicamba formulations are Engenia by BASF, Tavium by Syngenta and XtendiMax by Bayer. These are the only dicamba products labeled for use on dicamba-tolerant soybeans. The restrictions are aimed at curbing off-site movement of the products.

The three products are registered for use in Minnesota in 2023 with the following restrictions:

  1. Date cutoff. No application shall be made south of Interstate 94 after June 12. North of Interstate 94, use is prohibited after June 30.

  2. Temperature cutoff. No application shall be made if the air temperature of the field at the time of application is over 85 degrees F, or if the National Weather Service’s forecasted high temperature for the nearest available location for the day exceeds 85 degrees.

  3. Users can download these restrictions from the product manufacturer’s website, and they must be in the user’s possession during application.

“These restrictions mirror what we did in 2022, when we saw a major decrease in complaints of off-target movement from the previous year,” says Thom Petersen, agriculture commissioner. “These products must be used without impacts on neighboring homes, farms and gardens. The Minnesota-specific restrictions are based on scientific evidence from our drift investigations and discussions with the University of Minnesota Extension and Minnesota Soybean Growers Drift Taskforce.”

During the 2022 growing season, the MDA received 25 formal complaints and eight responses to an informal survey, all alleging off-target movement. This was a major decrease from 2021, which saw a total of 304 formal complaints and survey responses.

Federal requirements

Other federal requirements for the products that appear on the product labels include:

  • 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

  • being familiar with additional record-keeping items


In addition to the cutoff date, XtendiMax and Tavium have crop growth-stage cutoffs.

Since dicamba was first registered for use on dicamba-tolerant soybeans in the 2017 growing season, the MDA has fielded complaints each year of alleged off-site movement onto neighboring property. The chemical is highly volatile and can damage nontarget plant species through spray drift and/or volatilization. Volatility is influenced by several factors, including temperature, relative humidity, rate of application and crop stage. The annual totals of complaints were 32 in 2022, 304 in 2021, 128 in 2020, 20 in 2019, 51 in 2018 and 249 in 2017.

In Minnesota, Engenia, Tavium and XtendiMax formulations of dicamba are approved for use on dicamba-tolerant soybeans only and are “restricted-use pesticides.” The dicamba products are only for retail sale to and use by certified applicators.

Pesticide product registrations are renewed on an annual basis in Minnesota.

Source: Minnesota Department of Agriculture

Subscribe to receive top agriculture news
Be informed daily with these free e-newsletters

You May Also Like