Arkansas Plant Board Approves Dicamba, In-Crop Restrictions Apply

The Arkansas Agriculture Department’s State Plant Board voted to approve regulatory changes for dicamba herbicide application on dicamba-tolerant crops in the state. This was decided during a public hearing and special board meeting on Feb. 20.

New restrictions apply to all current and future dicamba products includes Engenia, Fexapan and Xtendimax.

Changes include:

No in-crop applications of dicamba from May 26 to Oct. 31

A ½ mile buffer required around non-dicamba crops

One-mile buffers near university and USDA research stations, certified organic crops and commercially grown specialty crops between April 16 and May 25

Dicamba cannot be mixed with glyphosate between April 16 and May 25

Applicators must provide proof of dicamba training before purchasing dicamba for in-crop use

During the hearing 87 people provided testimony, and 2,647 written comments were received during a 30-day public comment period.

Bayer provided the following statement about the decision to Agweb:

We applaud the Plant Board’s decision to grant Arkansas farmers in-season access to the latest dicamba technology that is available to farmers in every other soybean- and cotton-producing state in the country. As we told members of this Board Wednesday, Arkansas farmers are among the best in the country, and we are dedicated to providing them the tools and resources needed to have a successful 2019 season.

Next step is that the rule change will be submitted to the Joint Budget Committee’s Administrative Rule and Regulation Review Subcommittee, scheduled to meet Feb. 25. If approved, it will be sent to the full Joint Budget Committee for review. Upon that approval, the new rule will be filed with the Secretary of State’s office and will be effective 10 days after the filing.