The North Dakota and South Dakota departments of agriculture are gathering information on possible dicamba drift damage.

Both have reporting surveys online:

• North Dakota — nd.gov/ndda/dicamba-survey

• South Dakota — apps.sd.gov/doa/cat/dicamba.aspx

“If you suspect dicamba damage … please fill out the survey,” the North Dakota Department of Agriculture urged in a statement.

“Information in the survey will not be used for pesticide enforcement against applicators, and no penalties will be issued based on any survey. The intention of this survey is only to quantify the number of potential reports and acres impacted.”

Earlier this season, there were many reports of suspected dicamba damage coming out of Missouri, Arkansas and other southern and eastern Corn Belt states. North Dakota and South Dakota pesticide regulators and Extension Service weed specialists are now handling a lot of calls about suspected damage, too.

2017 was the first year any dicamba products were registered for use on post-plant soybeans. Registrations were granted for three products in North Dakota and South Dakota: Xtendimax, FeXapan and Engenia. These three products are formulated differently than conventional dicamba products and were supposed to have been less volatile than conventional dicamba. But the dicamba rate applied to soybeans is higher than dicamba applied to corn, and the products are applied later, when the temperature is higher.

The extent of damage will depend on a lot of factors. In some cases, there may not be any yield loss at all. It depends on what stage of growth the soybeans were in when the drift occurred.

Yield losses won’t be known until harvest, says Richard Zollinger, North Dakota State University Extension weed specialist.

File official complaint
If you wish to file a formal pesticide drift complaint, contact the Department of Agriculture in your state.

In North Dakota, call 701-328-2231.

In South Dakota, call 605-773-4432 or visit state.sd.us/eforms/secure/eforms/E2093V1-PesticideComplaint.pdf.