Commissioner Ryan Quarles announced in an open letter that dicamba would still be available for growers with a new record-keeping system for dealers, fine structure for producers and without an application cut-off date in the 2019 season.
Quarles said the Kentucky Department of Agriculture reached this decision because they believe dicamba is a valuable tool but did not believe a cut-off date to prevent off-target damage would be prudent in Kentucky given the new EPA label.
“Instead, KDA decided to approach the issue in a way that bolsters compliance with the new label and increase fines for potential violations,” Quarles stated in the letter.
The new regulations follow these principles:
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Defines dicamba as any 3, 6-Dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid, inclusive of any variant formulation or product brand name
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Provides for additional record keeping requirements for pesticide sales agent on dicamba products to include;
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Brand, amount, and type of restricted use pesticide sold;
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Buyer’s name and address; and
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Intended use: target crop or resale
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To increase fines for violations of the EPA label as it relates to dicamba;
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For first violation; $50 per acre on which the application was made with a maximum of $5,000
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For the second violation; $60 per acre on which the application was made with a maximum of $10,000
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For the third and any subsequent violation; $70 per acre on which the application was made with a maximum of $15,000
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Leaders of the Kentucky Corn Growers Association and Kentucky Small Grain Growers Association applaud Commissioner Quarles and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture for addressing the needs of producers while adding measures to increase responsible use.
“To ensure that we all understand the importance of proper stewardship of new technologies coming to the market it will take strong leadership and cooperation within the ag community,” said Executive Director Laura Knoth. “We appreciate that Commissioner Quarles and his staff have addressed this important issue.”
For the full letter and summary of the new label, click here.