Best Management Practices Are a Must Going into Dicamba Season

Dicamba spraying season is upon us here in South Dakota. June 20 is the deadline for using dicamba, a restricted-use pesticide, on South Dakota crop fields.

It is more important than ever to follow proper label instructions when spraying dicamba. The stakes could not be higher. A recent study of South Dakota consumers, which was conducted on behalf of South Dakota Corn Growers, showed even our strongest advocates agreed that South Dakota crop farmers should have more government oversight to maintain air, soil and water quality.

Consumers are paying more attention to farming practices, and provide farmers the social license to farm as you so choose. Acting with integrity, especially when it comes to using dicamba, is one way to maintain that social license with consumers, so in South Dakota farmers can continue to farm for generations to come without the weight of unnecessary government regulations.

At South Dakota Corn, we are 100 percent in favor of using new technologies, such as dicamba, as another tool to help farmers be more productive and profitable. To be able to keep that technology as a tool, it is imperative for farmers to use dicamba properly.

It may be tempting as a cost-savings on your inputs to use dicamba that is intended for use on corn on other crops. However, the risk is simply not worth it. Any off-label use of dicamba can result in legal and financial ramifications.

Some states have chosen to ban farmers from using dicamba; we do not want to see the same happen here in South Dakota. We encourage you to consult with your agronomist and applicator when spraying dicamba, to ensure best practices are being followed.

Here are some resources for more information on dicamba and best practices for using dicamba:

South Dakota Department of Agriculture

South Dakota State University Extension iGrow

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