OSU Extension’s new Farm Office website provides information on agricultural law, farm management, and taxation to help you manage your farm office. Included in this website is the “Ohio Ag Law Blog.” A post this week by Attorney Peggy Hall asks “What will dicamba changes mean for farmers?”
Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an agreement with Monsanto, BASF and DuPont to change dicamba registration and labeling beginning with the 2018 growing season. The upcoming changes might alleviate dicamba drift issues, but they also raise new concerns for farmers who will have more responsibility for dicamba applications.
Dicamba products will be classified as “restricted use” products for over the top applications. Only those who are certified through the state pesticide certification program or operating under the supervision of a certified applicator may apply the product.
The maximum wind speed for applications will reduce from 15 mph to 10 mph. There will also be greater restrictions on the times during the day when applications can occur, but those details are not yet available. Tank clean-out instructions for the prevention of cross contamination will be on the label. The label will also include language to heighten the awareness of application risk to sensitive crops.
These additional restrictions and information on dicamba labels shifts more responsibility for the product onto the applicator. An applicator must take special care to follow the additional label instructions, as going “off label” subjects an applicator to higher risk.
You can read more about this issue and others at farmoffice.osu.edu. The link to “Recent Blog Posts” is on the right side of the page, under “Upcoming Events.” At this site, you can also subscribe to the blog so you’re kept up-to-date as new postings are made.
And, to learn more about legal issues with pesticide use, there is a free webinar from the Agricultural & Food Law Consortium/National Ag Law Center this week Wednesday, Nov. 1, at noon. This webinar, “From Farm Fields to the Courthouse: Legal Issues Surrounding Pesticide Use” will feature an examination of regulatory issues and litigation surrounding pesticide use around the country by attorneys Rusty Rumley and Tiffany Dowell Lashmet. You can access this webinar through the FarmOffice website by clicking on “Legal Issues with Pesticide Use Webinar” under “Upcoming Events.”
OSU Extension in Clark County is holding a “Gardening for Pollinators” class on Wednesday, Nov. 29, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This will be held at their office on the east side of Springfield. The instructor will be Denise Ellsworth, Program Director in Honey Bee and Native Pollinator Education from the Department of Entomology at OSU.
Gardeners plan a vital role in the development and conservation of habitat that benefits pollinators including bees, birds, and butterflies. This program will focus on pollinator biology and identification as well as the practical steps gardeners can take to create or enhance habitat, including plant selection and simple design elements. By creating a patchwork of garden spaces that provide food and shelter for pollinators, gardeners can positively impact the held and survival of these important creatures.
The cost for the class is $30 with a registration deadline of Nov. 15. For more information and a registration form, go to go.osu.edu/clarkpollinators or contact our office for a flier.
Well, I messed up and got there late for the Forestry Field Day last weekend. For some reason, I had it in the phone from 1-5p … I did get to visit with some folks and it sounds like there was a good turn-out – Great weather! Which is another reason I was late: busy field work/harvest weekend!
