Success StoryDicamba to Spray or Not to Spray



Dicamba to Spray or Not to Spray

Author: Chuck Flowers

Planning Unit: Carlisle County CES

Major Program: Grain Crops

Plan of Work: Crop and Livestock Production, Gardening and Horticulture, and Local Food Systems

Outcome: Intermediate Outcome

Across Western Kentucky the Four River Counties plant 180,147 acres of soybeans compared to 1,780,000 acres in Kentucky each year (USDA/NASS, 2016). Being able to use chemicals is a must and controlling drift or volatility is very important to a farming program. Dicamba is a chemical that is causing lots of concerns and worry on the part of farm operations and the environment due to volatilization. The Carlisle County Cooperative Extension Service along with Kentucky Department of Agriculture, the University of Kentucky weed specialist and Monsanto helped host 4 Dicamba trainings and assisted in training over 400 producers on the proper application methods in using the new Dicamba formulations in the Four River Counties. 

When the trainings concluded several producers changed their thinking on how they were going to handle spraying Dicamba. Some of the larger operators mentioned they were going to keep one crew on Dicamba applications. They were also going to keep one sprayer and one truck and operator with those applications.  Smaller operations said they were going to change their spray operations too.  This year farmers are going to be under the microscope with Dicamba applications.  Dicamba could be a problem again and could be pulled off the market.  After these trainings the Carlisle County Cooperative Extension Service hopes this chemical can be kept in the tool box for farmers to use.   






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