On May 3, Bayer submitted an application to the EPA for a new XtendiMax, a ...

On May 3, Bayer submitted an application to the EPA for a new XtendiMax, a dicamba product, label. This new label would go into effect in 2025 and allow use up to July 30 for cotton and June 12 for preemergence use on soybeans. No over the top use for soybeans has been added to the label. It appears Bayer is trying to get the product into the hands of farmers and ranchers but will not contest the arguments of the court against use over the top of soybeans.

As a reminder, in February the EPA was forced by an Arizona District Court to cancel use of dicamba over the top of soybeans or cotton. After Farm Bureau requested an existing stocks order, the EPA granted it to use dicamba products for growing year 2024. Because of supply chain issues, Farm Bureau followed up with a request for a time extension for allowable use. The EPA did not grant this request and we are left with only the existing stocks order for 2024.

There is a public comment period on this new label until June 3. Once the comment period is over, the EPA has up to 17 months to make a decision, potentially dragging into fall 2025 and leaving dicamba use prohibited for the 2025 growing season. Based on this harm, we hope to see a decision much sooner.

If you wish to submit a comment, please go to this link, and click the blue "Comment" button in the upper lefthand corner of the webpage. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Kole Pederson, director of environmental & regulatory affairs, at [email protected].