More than 1,200 Applicators Attend Illinois Dicamba Training
In less than one month, more than 1,200 applicators have attended dicamba-specific training classes to prepare for the 2018 application season.
The statewide sessions are being organized by the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association. On October 13, 2017, the EPA issued revised labels for the three dicamba products that are labeled for use on genetically engineered crops, including soybeans: Engenia (BASF), XtendiMax (Monsanto) and FeXapan (DuPont).
“Illinois wants to be proactive in making sure farmers and applicators are aware of the new requirements,” says Illinois Department of Agriculture Director, Raymond Poe. “The attendance of farmers and commercial applicators at these training programs so far has been phenomenal.”
Completing these training sessions is one of the new requirements included on the product labels for 2018. Illinois has over 15,000 licensed agriculture pesticide applicators.
The free classes feature IDOA-approved training materials for the 90-minute classes, which helps ensure quality and consistency.
According to Jean Payne, President of the IFCA, the proper stewardship of dicamba is paramount.
“Although applicators are required to have training, we encourage everyone who plants dicamba tolerant soybeans to attend a class and understand the careful approach that must be taken to successfully steward this technology,” she says.
The class schedule, frequently asked questions, helpful resources and on-line registration for classes is available at www.ifca.com/illinoisdicambatraining.
