The Texas Department of Agriculture-approved auxin-specific herbicide training, developed by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and allied industries, has been reciprocally approved by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry and the New Mexico Department of Agriculture.
“These approvals will allow producers who operate in multiple states to attend one training to satisfy the regulatory requirements of the new technologies,” said Scott Nolte, AgriLife Extension state weed specialist in College Station.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency revised the labels for the three dicamba products, Engenia, FeXapan and XtendiMax, approved for use on dicamba-tolerant soybean and cotton varieties last fall.
One of the label changes included a mandate that anyone—applicators and operators—making applications of one of these three dicamba products must receive auxin-specific training prior to applying them, Nolte said.
After the program was developed and approved for Texas, AgriLife Extension began conducting auxin trainings in late 2017, Nolte said, adding there are many still scheduled in the coming months.
Applicators in need of training can visit https://amarillo.tamu.edu/event/auxin-training/ for a list of upcoming training opportunities. Each program will be one hour and provide one TDA laws and regulations continuing education unit.
Nolte said Arkansas and Louisiana do not reciprocate with Texas and require additional training and/or certifications for applicators.
Those needing training or help with additional questions about the new requirements should contact an AgriLife Extension office in Texas.