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Industry leaders say dicamba delays make spring planning difficult for farmers

The president and CEO of the Agricultural Retailers Association says the status of over-the-top dicamba use remains uncertain for 2026.

“I’m hopeful that we’ll get an answer on that sooner rather than later, so people can be ready for the spring.”

Darren Coppock says it’s not yet known if the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will reauthorize the herbicide after it was suspended in 2025, and if so, if tighter restrictions will be enacted.

“I’m surprised we haven’t heard from EPA on that topic already because people have been telling them, ‘Look, we’re making seed purchase decisions already, chemical purchase decisions already, it’d be kind of nice to know if we could use this product in the spring or not.’”

AUDIO: Darren Coppock – Agricultural Retailers Association

Illinois Ag Director Jerry Costello tells Brownfield, “There’s a ton of question marks out there for growers.”  He says, “And one of the issues that has pushed things back was the government shutdown. All of that has been delayed because of the six-week government shutdown.”

Costello says state-specific regulations did help limit complaints against the product in Illinois in 2024.

“We’ve seen the regulations that we’ve put in place work fairly well.”  He says, “So, the 85 degree, the June 20th cutoff, those things have really, really brought misuse complaints down.”

Coppock says further delays in an announcement not only limits growers’ ability to plan, but also for the industry to educate dicamba users on any potential label changes prior to the growing season.  

The EPA announced a proposed, new, unconditional registration for three dicamba products (XtendiMax, Engenia, and Tavium) in July 2025, with public comment periods extending into late 2025.  No further announcements have been made.

Brownfield spoke with both at the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association’s annual meeting in Peoria.

AUDIO: Jerry Costello – Illinois Department of Agriculture