AgriLife Extension plans two-hour auxin trainings across state

COLLEGE STATION – As temperatures rise and thoughts turn to spring planting, many producers will need to update their training if they are planting dicamba-tolerant cotton and soybeans, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialist. To meet those needs, many two-hour auxin trainings are being planned by the AgriLife Extension around the state, said Scott Nolte, AgriLife Extension state weed specialist, College Station. Trainings are set in Caldwell, Lamar, Lubbock and Potter counties this week and Childress, San Patricio and Oldham counties Feb. 11-15. To find a training nearby, producers can access an updated schedule at https://agrilife.org/aes/ or contact the AgriLife Extension office in their county. Nolte said this list will continuously change as meetings are added. This year label changes state only certified applicators may apply dicamba over the top of the crop, Nolte said. The changes also prohibit over-the-top applications 60 days after planting cotton and 45 days after planting soybeans. The new rules limit the number of over-the-top applications to two for both cotton and soybeans, plus limit applications between one hour after sunrise and two hours before sunset. In counties where endangered species exist, applicators must maintain the downwind 110-foot buffer and add a 57-foot buffer around the other sides of the target field. Three dicamba products – Engenia herbicide by BASF Corporation, XtendiMax herbicide with VaporGrip Technology by Bayer CropScience, and DuPont FeXapan herbicide Plus VaporGrip Technology by Corteva Agriscience – are restricted-use pesticides and state-limited-use pesticides in Texas, which requires purchase and use by certified applicators only. Nolte clarified that the auxin trainings are not a substitute for the state-specified certified applicator training, which is required to purchase and use restricteduse pesticides. Also, Texas Department of Agriculture has added 2,4-D choline formulations – Enlist Duo and Enlist One for use on 2,4-D-tolerant crops – to be included in these mandatory trainings. These are state-limited-use pesticides in Texas and can only be sold to and used by certified applicators or those working under the supervision of a certified applicator.