Department to host public hearing on pesticide emergency rule

The Missouri Department of Agriculture will host a public hearing at which interested parties may share their input on an emergency rule to restrict the sale of certain pesticides in Missouri.

• Time: 10 a.m.
• Date: Wednesday, March 21, 2018
• Location: East Elm Conference Center, 1730 East Elm Street, Jefferson City, Mo., 65101, Roaring River Room
• Comments: Those wishing to comment must register at least 24 hours in advance of the public hearing by completing this form. Those who are unable to attend may submit a written comment here. Written comments will be accepted until the close of business on March 21, 2018.

The emergency rule would prohibit the sale of certain older formulations of Dicamba and 2,4-D products after April 15 and before Oct. 1. Only products meeting specific conditions would be included in this rule. Products purchased after October 1 and before April 15 may be used in accordance with the directions for use found on the pesticide’s label or labeling.

Under this emergency rule, all Dicamba products labeled as general use pesticides (GUP) by the U.S. EPA and labeled for agricultural uses will be registered as Missouri Restricted Use Pesticides (RUPs). Missouri Restricted Use Pesticides carry the same weight as federal Restricted Use Pesticides. In October of 2017, EPA required DuPont’s FeXapan, BASF’s Engenia and Monsanto’s XtendiMax to be labeled as Restricted Use Pesticides, and as such, these products would not fall under this rule.

Click here to see the proposed emergency rule language. 

Wrapping up the winter meetings of the reach MORE tour

In November, we set out to visit face to face with Missouri’s farmers and ranchers by meeting them at their annual conferences. The reach MORE tour has included 12 stops, the most recent being a trip to Cape Girardeau for the Missouri Rice Council’s annual meeting. 

Thus far, Director Chinn and Department leadership have spent time with thousands of producers. We’ve discussed tough issues such as Dicamba and the veterinary feed directive, answered questions about our role in regulating and promoting agriculture, and, most importantly, outlined in person our strategic vision moving forward. The tour has allowed us to learn more about what each of these organization's priorities are and get in touch with the real issues facing farmers and ranchers. 

If we haven’t had the pleasure of seeing you over the past three months, this is where we’ve been:

• Nov. 28: Missouri Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts Meeting
• Nov. 28: MFA Inc. Annual Meeting
• Dec. 1: Missouri Livestock Symposium
• Dec. 4: Missouri Farm Bureau Annual Meeting
• Dec. 14: MO-AG Winter Convention
• Jan. 6: Missouri Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show
• Jan. 19: Heart of America Dairy Expo
• Jan. 23: Missouri Corn Growers Annual Meeting
• Jan. 29: Missouri Soybean Annual Meeting
• Feb. 6: Missouri Pork Expo
• Feb. 6: 2018 Regional Missouri Cotton Meeting
• Feb. 15: Annual Missouri Rice Council Meeting

We have one final tour stop scheduled at the Missouri Forest Products Association Summer Meeting this July.

As we have attended these meetings, we have garnered feedback about how the Department is serving Missourians, and what farmers and ranchers would like to hear about at next winter's Governor's Conference on Agriculture. 

We still want to hear from you on those topics as well. Please take three minutes to complete our online survey! 

Click here to share your thoughts.  

Missouri Department of Agriculture partners with Dow AgroSciences on proactive measures to ensure proper use of 2,4-D technology

In an effort to proactively protect 2,4-D technology, the Missouri Department of Agriculture has worked in tandem with Dow AgroSciences to issue a Special Local Need label for Enlist One and Enlist Duo for the following counties: Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Dunklin, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Ripley, Scott and Stoddard.

“We as farmers pride ourselves on being good stewards of our natural resources. We use technologies to more efficiently grow agricultural products and run successful businesses,” Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn said. “It is imperative that we use the technology at our disposal in a responsible and appropriate way, because farmers need to not only be good stewards of the land, but also good stewards towards our neighbors. We’re all in this together and we need to do our part to protect our industry.” 

According to the Special Local Need label for the 2018 growing season, to apply Enlist One and Enlist Duo applicators must abide by the following restrictions:

• Training Requirement – Applicators must complete mandatory Enlist 360 Training. For information on training, visit the Enlist website.
• Wind Speed - DO NOT apply at wind speeds greater than 10 mph.
• 2,4-D Notice of Application Form – Applicators must complete an online 2,4-D Notice of Application form daily prior to each application. The blank 2,4-D Notice of Application form can be found at: http://Agriculture.Mo.Gov/24d/notice.
• Recordkeeping requirement – Applicators must keep use records in accordance with the recordkeeping requirements of Dow AgroSciences’ licensing agreement.

The expiration date on both Special Local Need labels is Oct. 1, 2018. These restrictions are in place for Southeast Missouri because of the diversity of crops in the area like watermelon, peaches, berries, purple hull peas, peanuts, and also because of the concentration of farms and proximity of crops.

More detailed information about this issue is available at http://agriculture.mo.gov/24d/.