On February 6, 2024, the U.S. District Court of Arizona vacated the registrations for over-the-top (OTT) dicamba products. These products are labeled for post-emergent or OTT application to dicamba tolerant soybeans. The three impacted products are:
- Engenia Herbicide®, manufactured by BASF
- Xtendimax® With VaporGrip® Technology, made by Bayer CropScience
- Tavium® Plus VaporGrip® Technology, a Syngenta product
On February 14, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a cancellation order to clarify what can be done with existing stocks in the channels of trade.
The impacts of EPA's cancellation order:
- Prohibits sale or distribution by the registrants as of February 6, 2024
- Allows for existing stocks in the channels of trade as of February 6, 2024 to continue to be sold until May 31, 2024
- Allows for use of existing stocks until the label cutoff date of June 30, 2024
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is continuing to monitor updates from the EPA in regards to the status of these products' registration. DATCP will update this page as necessary.
Label Requirements
These are not all of the requirements. Please read the label thoroughly. Remember, the label is the law.
- These are now restricted-use products, so only certified applicators can apply them. (In Wisconsin, applying under the supervision of a certified applicator is not acceptable.)
- Applicators must complete special training to use these products annually, prior to the growing season.
- Record-keeping requirements are new and different from those of other products.
- You must check with the owner or operator of neighboring fields to find out what is planted or will be planted there. It is not enough to check Driftwatch™, because it does not include soybean fields unless they are organic. Also, it is voluntary, so it may not even include all of the organic soybean fields.
- The latest that you can apply Engenia or Xtendimax is up to and including June 30. Applications after soybean plants reach the R1 growth stage are prohibited. Tavium may be applied through the V4 growth stage or prior to June 30, whichever comes first.
- In some counties, you must provide both a 310-foot in-field wind-directional spray drift buffer and a 57-foot omnidirectional in-field buffer to protect federally listed threatened and endangered species. Before you use any of these products, you must obtain an Endangered Species Bulletin for the month you plan to apply. Bulletins are available on the EPA website.
Training
Wisconsin will accept training provided by the three companies, by the University of Wisconsin-Madison pesticide applicator training program, and training provided by other states.
Bayer training
BASF training
Syngenta training
Complaints
If you suspect that you have damage to your crops or landscaping from dicamba products or other herbicides, please submit a complaint to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. Find more details on our pesticide complaint page.
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