The release of dicamba resistant soybean varieties and newly developed dicamba herbicide formulations has allowed farmers throughout the soybean growing regions to spray dicamba during the growing season to control tough to control weed such as Palmer amaranth and waterhemp. The ability to apply dicamba during the growing season has also lead to an increase in the number of incidences of dicamba injury on sensitive crops. Specifically, there has been an increase in number of incidences of off target movement of dicamba onto sensitive soybeans. 

In late June of 2017 and into July 2017 reports of soybean with dicamba injury rapidly increased in the state of Kentucky. The extension weed Science team quickly responded on July 7^th with a video conference call with ANR Agents and various agronomy specialist. During the call Dr. JD Green and Dr. Travis Legleiter discussed the current status of dicamba injury on soybean and other sensitive crops. The specialist also discussed parameters and weather conditions that were conducive to the off-site movement of dicamba, and finally the team discussed with Agents the proper steps to responding to a dicamba injury call in their county. Following the call the specialist developed a publication that outlined the causes of dicamba off-site movement, symptoms that occur due to off-site movement, how to respond to a dicamba injury call, and finally responses to frequently asked questions.

Following the call agents reported incidences of injury to the weed science team in order to keep track of magnitude of the problem. Dr. Legleiter made trips to multiple counties to observe over 7000 acres of soybean that had been injured by the off-site movement of dicamba.

A survey of ANR agents was conducted throughout August and September to track the number of acres that were affected by off-site movement of dicamba. The survey also included questions of how the dicamba moved off-site to further supply data to the team. Surveys revealed a total of at least 35,000 acres of soybeans were affected in 2017

Data gleaned from ANR agent surveys as well as from first hand field visits was shared with academics from across the Midwest at two separate meetings in Little Rock Arkansas and St. Louis Missouri. The findings were also discussed among academic colleagues and private industry at industry hosted meetings in St. Louis Missouri and Memphis Tennessee. Data gleaned at these meetings was used to develop training modules and inform EPA decisions to modify dicamba labeling to reduce off-site movement in future growing seasons.