While dicamba drift has been a major concern in the U.S., there have also been cases reported this year in Manitoba.

Dicamba is a Group 4 selective herbicide used to kill broadleaf weeds, often used in conjunction with the Xtend soybean platform. Provincial Weed Specialist Jeanette Gaultier says a lot of Group 4's are volatile products which can gas off and move away from the site of application. She notes the product has gone through many changes over the years in an effort to decrease its volatility. Soybeans that are not part of the Xtend platform are very sensitive to dicamba.

Gaultier explains what they've been seeing so far this year.

"Manitoba Agriculture staff have verified eight fields that have symptoms that are very consistent with dicamba injury and those are the ones that we've actually seen in person that we can verify. There's been additional samples coming in to the lab, additional field reports to Manitoba Agriculture staff, and just some anecdotal reports that suggest that there are obviously more cases than that."

Farmers are being encouraged to contact Manitoba Agriculture if they think their field may have been affected by dicamba vapour or particle drift. Gaultier says it's also a good idea for producers to speak with their neighbours about the issue.

"Xtend soybeans look no different than other soybeans and sometimes what we might think is dicamba injury or we just assume because it's the hot topic this year, it could actually be something else."

Gaultier notes although herbicide injury is not an insurable loss, farmers are encouraged to contact their insurance agency.

"They do note the area so that it doesn't go against guys' IPI (Individual Productivity Index)," she said. "It definitely is valuable to let your insurance agency know that you've had this occurrence so that it doesn't affect your overall yield as MASC is seeing it."

Some tips for preventing dicamba drift include using the proper ultra coarse nozzles, making sure the wind speed is below 16 km/h, and making sure water volumes are up. Gaultier says its important for farmers to follow label directions.