The use of dicamba, specifically the use of Over-The-Top (OTT) products, has generated many questions due to new label requirements, frequent changes by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and state specific requirements.
Below is a list of frequently asked questions and answers regarding these OTT Dicamba products.
General Information
Dicamba is a selective, systemic, and plant growth regulator herbicide primarily used for post emergence broadleaf weed control (for example, waterhemp, ragweed, horseweed) in a variety of crops, residential areas, and other sites. Dicamba herbicide belongs to Group 4 site-of-action.
Dicamba has long been used in agricultural and non-agricultural herbicide products. On February 6, 2026, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered three end-use dicamba products, Engenia® (EPA Reg. No. 7969-507, BASF), Stryax™ (EPA Reg. No. 264-1241, Bayer) and Tavium® Plus VaporGrip® Technology (EPA Reg. No. 100-1753, Syngenta) until February 6, 2028. These products are for applications to dicamba-tolerant soybeans and dicamba-tolerant cotton only.
In Minnesota, waterhemp has evolved resistance to several herbicide classes (for example, glyphosate, ALS, PPO herbicides). Growers can use this technology in DT soybeans to control herbicide-resistant weeds such as waterhemp.
Dicamba is a highly volatile chemical that can damage non-target plant species through spray drift and/or volatilization (vapor drift). Dicamba products have the potential to cause serious damage to sensitive plant species such as non-dicamba-tolerant soybeans, grapes, trees, ornamentals, etc. To provide additional protections to prevent and/or minimize damage to non-target plants, state specific restrictions have been developed and are listed on product labels for Minnesota.
The MDA has worked with the EPA and the registrants of the three dicamba products, Engenia®, Stryax™, and Tavium® to include the following restrictions on the product labels.
- 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 if 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 EPA has approved these restrictions and have amended the product labels for dicamba products since 2022. These restrictions are valid for currently registered over-the-top use products until February 6, 2028. The amended product labels with Minnesota-specific restrictions are also available on the product manufacturer’s website (BASF, Bayer, Syngenta). If the restrictions are not part of the container label, check the company’s website to download the restrictions prior to application of any of these three dicamba products. The restrictions are also promoted through the mandatory dicamba specific training, required for anyone applying one of the approved products, on the manufacturer’s website. Compliance with these Minnesota-specific restrictions and other restrictions listed on the product label is mandatory.
If you are planning to use one of the RUP dicamba products, in addition to the auxin/dicamba mandatory training offered by dicamba registrants (BASF, Bayer, Syngenta), applicators must also follow the requirements of the Minnesota Pesticide Control Law. Other important control measures include:
- Requiring both a drift reduction agent (DRA) and a qualified pH-buffering agent (also called a Volatility Reduction Agent or VRA) to be tank mixed with the dicamba products prior to any over the top (post emergence) application.
- Requiring a 240 feet downwind buffer between the last treated row and the nearest downwind field/area edge.
- Tavium® application is prohibited after V4 growth stage and Stryax™ application is prohibited after R1 growth stage.
The MDA encourages reporting of any suspected pesticide damage. You can begin the formal complaint process by calling 651-201-6333 between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM Monday through Friday or by submitting an online dicamba complaint form.
To submit a report of dicamba damage to the manufacturers use the following contact information:
- BASF (Engenia®) – 1-800-832-HELP (4357)
- Bayer (Stryax™) – 1-866-99BAYER (992-2937)
- Syngenta (Tavium®) – 1-800-888-8372
Minnesota Specific Requirements
The MDA worked with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the registrants of the three dicamba products, Engenia®, Stryax™, and Tavium® to include the following state-specific restrictions on product labels.
DO NOT apply south of interstate 94 after June 12. DO NOT apply north of interstate 94 after June 30.
Statewide Restriction: DO NOT apply if the air temperature of the field at the time of application is over 85 degrees Fahrenheit or if 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.
Forecasted temperature for the site of application and the day of application must be recorded from the National Weather Service’s website.
No, Tavium® label prohibits application after V4 stage of dicamba-tolerant soybeans.
No, Tavium® label prohibits application after V4 stage of dicamba-tolerant soybeans.
No. The end date for use of XtendiMax, Engenia, or Tavium in Minnesota south of I-94 was June 12, 2024. The end date for use of XtendiMax, Engenia, or Tavium in Minnesota north of I-94 was June 30, 2024
Dicamba or Auxin-specific Training
Each label for the new dicamba products specifies that when applying in any calendar year, applicators must complete dicamba-specific annual training for that year in order to use the dicamba products. Only certified or licensed applicators may apply these products. These products must not be used by uncertified or unlicensed persons working under the supervision of a certified applicator, except that uncertified or unlicensed persons may transport containers. Product manufacturers will provide training that meets the requirements of the label. Information about dicamba use and training is also available on the product label and product manufacturer’s website.
Records must be created, maintained, and made available to federal and state officials in accordance with any applicable federal and state record keeping requirements. Manufacturers may provide record-keeping templates that include the requirements of the label. Complying with each of these federal label requirements is mandatory.
MANDATORY dicamba or auxin-specific training is needed every year you plan to use the new dicamba products. Even if you received MANDATORY dicamba or auxin-specific training last year, you must complete it again this year and the next year to be able to legally use these three products this year and the following year.
No, dicamba or auxin-specific training is mandated only for those who use one of the new dicamba products.
The training takes approximately 1 hour.
The training will cover the product label requirements, recordkeeping requirements, weed management practices, buffer requirements and protection of sensitive crops, sensitive areas, endangered species, spray drift management, chemistry, mixing and handling, window of application, equipment preparation, and special considerations.
No, the class consists of instruction, review, and open question-and-answer sessions. Online training may have quiz components.
Once the training is completed, the applicator should obtain a certificate to keep. This certification needs to be kept by the applicator with their application record(s) as a record. One of the recordkeeping elements for these registrations requires the certified applicator to show proof of completing dicamba-specific training.
The manufacturers will also be maintaining a record of those attending the class. The MDA will be checking to ensure that applicators did attend the required training.
No, it will not be amended. Pesticide dealers are not required to see the proof of training to sell the dicamba products to certified applicators.
The MDA will recognize dicamba training that is based on material prepared by any of the three registrants (BASF, Syngenta, or Bayer) if the training is provided in Minnesota or a neighboring state (North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, or Wisconsin). The MDA has included additional Minnesota specific slides that applicators are expected to view.
Visit the EPA's Registration of Dicamba for Use on Dicamba-Tolerant Crops or the manufacturer's website (BASF, Bayer, Syngenta), or contact the MDA.
Yes, the MDA accepts online dicamba training.
Buffer Requirements for the Protection of Sensitive Areas and Endangered Species
Non-sensitive crops and areas include paved or gravel surfaces; roads; mowed and/or managed areas adjacent to field, such as roadside rights-of-way; areas covered by the footprint of a building, silo, shade house, feed crib, or other man-made structure with walls and a roof; agricultural fields that have been prepared for planting; and planted agricultural fields containing asparagus, corn, dicamba-tolerant cotton, dicamba-tolerant soybeans, sorghum, proso millet, small grains, and sugarcane (the applicator is responsible for ensuring that the crops are dicamba-tolerant).
Applicators must follow the directions listed on the Endangered Species Protection Bulletin for protecting endangered species. The following areas may be included in the buffer distance composition when directly adjacent to the treated field edges:
- Roads, paved or gravel surfaces, mowed grassy areas adjacent to field, and areas of bare ground from recent plowing or grading that are contiguous with the treated field.
- Planted agricultural fields containing dicamba-resistant plantings of cotton and soybeans.
- Areas covered by the footprint of a building, silo, or other man-made structure with walls and or roof.
For more details regarding buffer distance composition, refer to the label.
The applicator must always maintain a 240-feet downwind buffer between the last treated row and the nearest downwind field/area edge (in the direction the wind is blowing). Applicators can still use out-of-field non-sensitive crops and areas in the total buffer distance calculation. It should also be noted that the 240-feet downwind buffer is not intended to protect downwind sensitive crops and plants from off-target dicamba exposure. It is intended to protect other sensitive areas, for example, water bodies, non-residential areas, etc. The downwind dicamba application prohibition and the 240-feet downwind buffer requirement should not be confused when the concern is protection of downwind sensitive crops and plants.
No, only dicamba-resistant plantings of cotton and soybeans can be a part of the buffer distances in areas with endangered species.
Sometimes yes, but often times buffers are required on several sides. Applicators should remember that buffers will often be required on two or more downwind sides of a target field if wind direction is not constant and non-target sites are not positioned completely perpendicular to one another. A 45-degree wind direction would require a buffer on two downwind sides. The applicator may have to change the buffer location with the change in wind direction during the application.
Yes, buffer distance can be reduced by 50%.
Yes, regardless of who owns the wooded lot, it is label-defined as a sensitive uncultivated area that may harbor a sensitive plant species or endangered species. Therefore, even an adjacent wooded lot that you own or control is required to have a downwind buffer.
No, dicamba application should not be made if the wind is blowing in the direction of sensitive plants. For more information regarding sensitive plant species, refer to the label.
No, dicamba application should not be made if the wind is blowing in the direction of sensitive plants.
No, downwind dicamba buffers would not be required next to these in-field areas. The EPA has concluded that grass waterways should be treated the same as Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) areas. Both CRP and grass waterways include voluntary conservation agricultural areas that could be used for cropland production. Therefore, buffers are not required to protect these voluntary conservation practice areas.
Record Keeping and Licensing
- Records must be generated for dicamba applications and a record must be kept for every individual application.
- All commercial and noncommercial applicators must keep the required dicamba label records for a period of five years
- Records must be made available to the MDA, USDA, and EPA upon request.
- Keeping records electronically is acceptable.
In addition to the dicamba label recordkeeping requirements, commercial and noncommercial applicators must meet record keeping requirements specified in Minnesota Statute. For example, commercial applicators must keep the applicator's company name and address AND the name and address of the customer, and rate of application. A noncommercial applicator record must have the applicator’s company name and address, and rate of application.
The MDA maintains Pesticide Application Record Templates that illustrate these requirements.
The MDA encourages dicamba applicators to visit the National Weather Service website to see the timing of sunrise and sunset on that calendar day. Dicamba applications will be allowed only from one hour after sunrise to two hours before sunset.
New dicamba products are classified as Restricted Use Pesticides (RUPs) and can only be used by applicators that are either certified as Private Pesticide Applicators or licensed as either Commercial or Noncommercial Pesticide Applicators and certified in Categories A (Core) and C (Field Crops) as required by the Minnesota Pesticide Control Law. The Pesticide Control Law and federal label do not allow uncertified applicators to use the new dicamba products or any RUPs under the supervision of certified applicators.
Yes, the new dicamba products are classified as RUPs and as Agricultural Pesticides because of Worker Protection Standard language included on the product labeling and therefore require a pesticide dealer license. The MDA issues Agricultural Pesticide Dealer Licenses to businesses that offer for sale or sell agricultural pesticides to an end-user for use in the state of Minnesota.
Pesticide dealers selling dicamba must verify each end-user has either a valid Commercial, Noncommercial Pesticide Applicator License, or a Private Pesticide Applicator Certification issued by the MDA. Dealers must keep records of the purchase, sale, and distributions of these products for a period of five years. Additional requirements are detailed on the MDA Pesticide Dealer Licensing webpage.
Volatility and drift reducing agents are mandatory, and the applicator must provide proof of purchase to include with record keeping.
Buffers are required, the best way to demonstrate compliance is to draw a map as part of your application record showing where you left a buffer. In addition, buffers can be demonstrated through, GPS, picture, or Google Earth.
If the buffer distance was reduced, note what qualifying practices supported that reduction.
You must have an anemometer in your possession at the time of the inspection to demonstrate that you had measured wind speed and direction at the boom height.
Miscellaneous
Do not apply dicamba products when inversion conditions exist. There is more than one method such as smoke test and weather apps which can help to determine temperature inversion conditions in a field. The following are the indicators of presence of temperature inversion conditions:
- Calm day with wind speed less than 3 mph;
- Clear night;
- Dust cloud hanging on the side of the road;
- Dew or frost present on the ground;
- Horizontal smoke pattern; and
- Ground fog in low-lying area.
- The Minnesota Ag Weather Network has weather information for most of Minnesota. The weather stations are hosted on the North Dakota Weather Network (NDAWN).
- 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 applicator’s responsibility to protect sensitive crops and areas from pesticide damage.
Applicators must document a sensitive crop registry was consulted prior to the application. Documentation must include the name of the sensitive crop registry and the date it was consulted. The MDA administers FieldCheck for registering sensitive crops.
Yes, dicamba products such as Clarity can be applied before planting DT soybeans. The product label for old dicamba products such as Clarity require at least 28 days rotational crop interval (days after application); and a minimum accumulation of one inch of rainfall or overhead irrigation must be observed following application. These requirements may vary from product to product or there may be additional label requirements. For example, planting interval for Banvel is 60 days. Therefore, carefully read and follow all label requirements. This longer planting interval must be applied because DT soybean is not listed on Banvel, Clarity, DiFlexx, or other dicamba products.
For best control, post emergence dicamba applications should be made when broadleaf weeds are less than four inches in height. To manage broadleaf weeds, especially herbicide-resistant waterhemp (emerges throughout the growing season) after June 12th, the MDA recommends growers follow the University of Minnesota Extension recommendations on layering of residual herbicides such as Dual, Outlook, Warrant, and Valor. Layering of residual herbicides in herbicide programs provides residual control of late emerging weeds.
If you do not have herbicide-resistant waterhemp in a field, herbicides from these three sites-of-action can be applied:
- Glyphosate (Group 9)
- ALS inhibitors such as Pursuit, Classic, FirstRate (Group 2)
- PPO inhibitors such as Flexstar, Cobra, Cadet, Ultra Blazer (Group 14)
Growers that have glyphosate-resistant waterhemp may consider using tank-mix of glyphosate with an herbicide from Group 2 or Group 14.
In other genetically engineered soybeans, for instance LibertyLink soybeans, applicators can use Liberty (Group 10) herbicide in addition to other labeled herbicides for weed management.
The MDA also highly encourages growers to use preemergence herbicides with residual control and to follow resistance management strategies, such as:
- Do not rely on a single herbicide site-of-action
- Apply full labeled rates
- Use preemergence herbicides with residual control
- Zero threshold for herbicide resistant weeds (for example: waterhemp) avoid application of herbicides with the same site-of-action more than twice in the season, incorporate non-chemical tactics (such as crop rotation, cover crops, weed free seeds) that are mentioned on the label as part of integrated weed management.
