24 Jul EPA Opens Comment Period on Proposed Registration of New Dicamba Products for Use on Dicamba-Tolerant Cotton and Soybeans
Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association (KARA) will be submitting a comment to the United States Environmental Protection Agency and will share the document with its membership following submission. The comment period closes on August 22, 2025 and is available: Docket ID EPA-HQ-OPP-2024-0154 at www.regulations.gov
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has opened public comments to its proposed registration for three end-use dicamba products for broadleaf weed control in dicamba-tolerant cotton and dicamba-tolerant soybean. The Agency received applications from Bayer CropScience LP, BASF Corporation, and Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC for new dicamba products proposed for use on dicamba-tolerant cotton and dicamba-tolerant soybean.
These proposed dicamba products would allow postemergence applications to dicamba-tolerant cotton and soybean, commonly referred to as “over-the-top” (OTT) use. OTT dicamba applications aim to remove emerged broadleaf weed species, particularly those resistant to other herbicides that compete with cotton and soybean plants and potentially reduce crop yield.
Specifically, EPA is proposing the following mitigation measures on the three products being proposed:
• A single use maximum application rate of 0.5 lb. acid equivalent (a.e.) dicamba per acre.
• No more than two applications allowed with a maximum annual application of 1 lb. a.e. dicamba per acre from all combined dicamba-containing products.
• Prohibition of aerial applications.
• Maintaining a 240-ft downwind buffer.
• The spray solution must include an approved drift reduction agent and pH buffering volatility reduction agent added to the tank in higher percentages as temperatures increase.
• Temperature-dependent application restrictions to manage volatility. Users have flexibility to implement temperature-dependent restrictions by reducing the percent of field treated, including by using precision agriculture techniques, or prohibiting certain tank mixes at higher temperatures.
• No applications at temperatures above 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Three points of mitigation required based on the runoff/erosion mitigation menu.
• Users must access and follow any applicable endangered species bulletin from “Bulletins Live! Two” web-based system. Six points of runoff/erosion mitigation will be required in some pesticide use limitation areas where pesticide exposures are likely to impact the continued existence of a listed species, which may include a reduction in survival or recovery of the species.
Applicators are required to wear baseline attire (i.e., long-sleeve shirt, long pants and shoes plus socks) along with personal protective equipment including chemical-resistant gloves when handling these products. A NIOSH-approved dust/mist filtering respirator with any R, P, or HE filter is also required for all handlers of the BAPMA-salt-formulated product. There is a restricted entry interval of 24 hours. Use is restricted to a limited number of approved states by certified applicators only. Applicators are required to complete additional dicamba-specific annual training and maintain records of all applications.
Next Steps
After considering public comments on the proposed registration and the draft effects determinations, EPA will decide whether the registration action meets the standard for registration under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. If EPA determines that the registration action can be granted, EPA will finalize the biological evaluation. If a final biological evaluation finds that dicamba may affect any listed species or critical habitats, then EPA will initiate Endangered Species Act consultation and share its findings with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service (collectively referred to as the Services), as appropriate.