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The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has confirmed the presence of emerald ash borer (EAB) in Watonwan County for the first time. There are now 38 counties in the state, including Watonwan, with EAB.

An employee with the University of Minnesota Extension contacted the MDA after suspecting a group of trees in the town of Butterfield was infested with EAB. MDA staff were able to find EAB larvae and collect samples. Federal identification confirmed emerald ash borer.

EAB was first discovered in Minnesota in 2009. The insect larvae kill ash trees by tunneling under the bark and feeding on the part of the tree that moves nutrients up and down the trunk. Often, the trees show several signs of infestation because of this. Woodpeckers like to feed on EAB larvae, and woodpecker holes may indicate the presence of emerald ash borer. Also, EAB tunneling can cause the bark to split open, revealing characteristic S-shaped galleries underneath.

Because this is the first time EAB has been identified in Watonwan County, the MDA is enacting an emergency quarantine of the county, which limits the movement of firewood and ash material out of the area.

The MDA issues quarantines for all areas known to have EAB to reduce the risk of further spreading the tree-killing insect.

A virtual informational meeting for residents and tree care professionals in Watonwan County will be held on Wednesday, January 18, 2023. Experts from the MDA will give a brief presentation followed by a question-and-answer session.

Emerald Ash Borer Virtual Informational Meeting:
Wednesday, January 18, 2023
10-11 a.m.
Register at www.mda.state.mn.us/eab

The public will also have an opportunity to provide input on the proposal to add Watonwan County’s emergency quarantine to the state’s formal quarantine. The MDA is taking comments on the proposed formal quarantine now through February 17, 2023, and recommends adopting the quarantine on February 21, 2023. The proposed quarantine language can be found at www.mda.state.mn.us/eab.

Comments can be made during the virtual meeting or by contacting:

Kimberly Thielen Cremers
Minnesota Department of Agriculture
625 Robert Street North
St. Paul, MN 55155
Kimberly.TCremers@state.mn.us

There is more EAB information on the MDA website.

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Media Contact

Brittany Raveill, MDA Communications
651-201-6131
Allen.Sommerfeld@state.mn.us

Update: Due to overwhelming interest, the MDA's Down Payment Assistance Grant program has closed its applications and waitlist for the first round of funding. The second round of applications will re-open on July 1, 2023.

Applications are now being accepted for a new grant program to support Minnesotans purchasing their first farm. The Down Payment Assistance Grant Program is managed by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and offers dollar-for-dollar matching up to $15,000 for qualified small farmers to purchase farmland.

The MDA’s Rural Finance Authority (RFA) is awarding this funding using a first-come, first-served application process that will open at 9 a.m. on January 4, 2023. The Minnesota Legislature appropriated $500,000 in Fiscal Year 2023 for these grants. The RFA expects to award between 30 and 40 grants in this cycle, depending on the size of requests. A second cycle of $750,000 in funding has been secured and will be made available on July 1, 2023.

Farmers must be Minnesota residents who will earn less than $250,000 annually in gross agricultural sales and plan on providing the majority of the day-to-day physical labor on the farm for at least five years. Applicants must not have previous direct or indirect farmland ownership.

Applications will continue to be accepted until a waitlist of 100 applicants forms, or May 15, 2023, whichever comes first. Approved applications will remain valid for purchases closing within 90 days of approval or until May 15, 2023, whichever comes first.

The application and more information on the Down Payment Assistance Grant can be found at  https://www.mda.state.mn.us/down-payment-assistance-grant-program.

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Media Contact
Logan Schumacher, MDA Communications
651-201-6193
Logan.Schumacher@state.mn.us

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) today announced that state-specific use restrictions for three dicamba herbicide products will remain the same for the 2023 growing season in Minnesota. The restrictions are aimed at curbing off-site movement of the products.

The affected dicamba formulations are Engenia by BASF, Tavium by Syngenta, and XtendiMax by Bayer. These are the only dicamba products labeled for use on dicamba-tolerant soybeans.

The three products are registered for use in Minnesota in 2023 with the following restrictions:

• DATE CUTOFF: No application shall be made south of Interstate 94 after June 12, 2023. North of Interstate 94, use is prohibited after June 30, 2023.
• TEMPERATURE CUTOFF: No application shall be made 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.

Users can download these restrictions from the product manufacturer’s website, and they must be in the user’s possession during application.

“These restrictions mirror what we did in 2022 when we saw a major decrease in complaints of off-target movement from the previous year,” said Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen. “These products must be used without impacts on neighboring homes, farms, and gardens. The Minnesota-specific restrictions are based on scientific evidence from our drift investigations and discussions with the University of Minnesota Extension and Minnesota Soybean Growers Drift Taskforce.”

During the 2022 growing season, the MDA received 25 formal complaints and eight responses to an informal survey, all alleging off-target movement. This was a major decrease from 2021 which saw a total of 304 formal complaints and survey responses.

Other federal requirements for the products that appear on the product labels include:

• Requiring an approved pH-buffering agent, also known as a volatility reducing agent, be tank mixed with dicamba products prior to all applications
• Requiring a downwind buffer of 240 feet and 310 feet in areas where listed endangered species are located
• Additional recordkeeping items

In addition to the cutoff date, Xtendimax and Tavium have crop growth stage cutoffs.

Since dicamba was first registered for use on dicamba-tolerant soybeans in the 2017 growing season, the MDA has fielded complaints each year of alleged off-site movement onto neighboring property. The chemical is highly volatile and can damage non-target plant species through spray drift and/or volatilization. Volatility is influenced by several factors including temperature, relative humidity, rate of application, and crop stage. The annual totals of complaints were:

2022: 32 reports
2021: 304
2020: 128
2019: 20
2018: 51
2017: 249

In Minnesota, Engenia, Tavium, and XtendiMax formulations of dicamba are approved for use on dicamba-tolerant soybeans only and are “Restricted Use Pesticides.” The dicamba products are only for retail sale to and use by certified applicators.

Pesticide product registrations are renewed on an annual basis in Minnesota.

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Media Contact
Allen Sommerfeld, MDA Communications
651-201-6185
Allen.Sommerfeld@state.mn.us