Dicamba is an important tool in combating herbicide resistant weeds in Dicamba-Tolerant (DT) soybeans. Products containing dicamba can cause serious damage to non-dicamba-tolerant soybeans and to other sensitive crops and non-crop plants.
The MDA received 15 dicamba drift-related complaints during the 2023 growing season. The annual totals for alleged dicamba off-site movement complaints were:
2022: 33 reports
2021: 304 reports
2020: 128 reports
2019: 20 reports
2018: 51 reports
2017: 249 reports
The MDA wishes to preserve this tool for farmers. However, it must be used without impacts on neighboring crops, homes, farms, and gardens.
Dicamba is a Restricted Use Pesticide (RUP) that can only be applied by applicators that are licensed or certified to apply RUPs in Minnesota.
For the 2026 growing season, in Minnesota, the following restrictions apply to the three dicamba products Stryax™, Engenia®, and Tavium®
Cutoff date:Do not apply south of Interstate 94 after June 12. Do not apply north of Interstate 94 after June 30.
Cutoff Temperature for the entire state: Do not apply if the air temperature of the field at the time of application is over 85 degrees Fahrenheit or the National Weather Service’s forecasted high temperature for the nearest available location for the day exceeds 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Forecasted temperature must be recorded at the start of the application.
The restrictions are part of the federal label.
The EPA-approved labeling containing the restrictions must be in the user’s possessionduring application.
If the restrictions are not part of the container label, check the company’s website to download the additional labeling prior to the applicationof any of these three dicamba products.
Contact the product registrants with any questions regarding the availability of additional labeling.
The Minnesota Ag Weather Network has weather information for most of Minnesota, https://ndawn.info/
A free app (iOS or Android) to help applicators determine temperature inversions using Minnesota data is available from NDAWN
Inversion apps are merely a tool to identify temperature inversions. It is the applicator’s responsibility to protect sensitive crops and areas from pesticide damage.
Applicators must document that a sensitive crop registry was consulted prior to the application. The MDA administers Fieldcheck for registering sensitive crops https://www.mda.state.mn.us/plants-insects/fieldwatch.