For the 2018 growing season in Minnesota, there is a special training needed to use the new dicamba products. Specifically, these dicamba products are: Engenia®Herbicide, FexapanTM Herbicide plus VaporGrip® Technology, and Xtendimax® with VaporGrip® Technology.
Do you still need your dicamba training?
- Training is now offered online. You can find links to all three online trainings here: https://mcpr-cca.org/dicamba-information-trainings/
- Training is offered by all three dicamba manufacturers: BASF, DowDupont, and Monsanto.
- Attending one training qualifies you to apply all three products. Your training does not have to be offered by the manufacturer whose product you apply.
- If you won’t use dicamba, you don’t need training.
- It is the manufacturer’s job to tell the Minnesota Department of Agriculture that you completed training.
For other questions, begin at the dicamba FAQ page from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
Do you still need to get licensed or certified to apply Restricted Use Pesticides (including dicamba)?
The three dicamba products mentioned above are Restricted Use Pesticides, so you will still need a Private (farmer) Pesticide Certification or a Pesticide Applicator License (Commercial or Noncommercial) to buy and use dicamba. This is in addition to the dicamba training.
Private applicators: This certification is for people who are farmers, or apply Restricted Use Pesticides to land they own, rent, or manage for agricultural production.
- You may take your exam online. This is the fastest way to become certified, as you will see your results immediately and receive a temporary certificate to be used until your card arrives in the mail.
- You may also do a mail-in exam. 2018 test packets and manuals are available at most local Extension county offices. 2018 mail-in exams must be postmarked no later than October 31, 2018. Keep in mind that in Minnesota, dicamba cannot be applied after June 20th.
- Study manuals can be purchased at most county Extension offices. The manual is also free online in PDF form.
- See MDA details for Private Applicator Certification
Commercial pesticide applicator: This license is for people who apply any pesticides for customers. Those customers are billed or invoiced.
- If you need a Commercial pesticide applicator license, begin here.
Noncommercial pesticide applicator: This license is for people who apply Restricted Use Pesticides to their employer’s land, as part of their employment.
- If you need a Noncommercial pesticide applicator license, begin here.
By: Lauren Werner-Foley, Tana Haugen-Brown, and Natalie Hoidal