The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reauthorized the use of dicamba herbicides on dicamba-tolerant cotton and soybeans, laying the way for chemical giant Bayer to release an herbicide for the 2026 growing season.
Bayer’s Stryax is a dicamba herbicide that works with XtendFlex and Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans and XtendFlex cotton, designed to address glyphosate-resistant broadleaf weeds and other weeds, the company shared in a press release. The herbicide provides up to two weeks of soil activity on specific broadleaf weeds and can be applied seven days pre-harvest in XtendFlex cotton and up to R1 in XtendFlex soybeans, the company added.
Bayer will now seek state approval for Stryax and will launch applicator training and education in the coming weeks to ensure proper use, Ty Witten, VP of commercial stewardship, crop science, at Bayer, shared in a release.
Dicamba was initially described in 1958 and then approved for use in the U.S. in 1962, gaining popularity as a solution for herbicide-resistant weeds, according to Iowa State University. Dicamba can be volatile — influenced by temperature, rain, and application — which have been mitigated by adding salts to the product’s formulation, the university explained.
“We welcome the EPA’s scientific review and registration decision for low-volatility dicamba herbicides. Now more than ever, growers need weed control options. Growers tell us they value the flexibility that dicamba and XtendFlex soybeans and cotton add to their operations. This new registration will give growers another vital tool to control tough-to-control and herbicide-resistant weeds,” Brian Naber, president of North America and Australia/New Zealand region, crop science at Bayer, said in a press release.
Dicamba restrictions for 2026
The EPA reapproved OTT dicamba after analysis “found no unreasonable risk to human health and the environment,” the agency shared in a statement dated Feb. 6. However, the agency made several restrictions for usage in 2026, including:
- Farmers can apply a total of two 0.5 lbs. of dicamba per acre annually, reducing exposure to sensitive species.
- Every dicamba application must come with 40 oz. per acre of approve volatility reduction agent (VRA), reducing volatilisation after application and drift.
- Farmers will have to receive three or six runoff points from the EPA’s certified conservation practice selection on every field, depending on the farm’s proximity to vulnerable species.
- A grower can treat up to 50% of untreated dicamba-tolerant cotton and soybean acres in a county when temperatures are between 85-95°F, reducing the risk of volatilisation and drift. No one can spray if temperatures are 95°F on the day of the treatment, the agency added.
The EPA did not dismiss concerns around dicamba, stating “the ecological risks associated with dicamba drift and volatility are real,” the agency shared in a release. The above restrictions were put in place to reduce the impact, EPA added.
A case of helping farmers or ‘MAHA-washing’?
Agriculture trade groups and lobbyists came out in strong support for the EPA decision, as the product provides farmers with another tool to manage glyphosate-resistant weeds.
“Farmers appreciate the decision by Administrator Lee Zeldin and the EPA to release a new registration and updated label for dicamba, an important herbicide that allows farmers to grow safe and healthy food and fiber. EPA’s review and approval process, based on sound science, resulted in guidance that gives us continued confidence it can be safely applied. We look forward to helping ensure farmers clearly understand the updated label requirements,” Zippy Duvall, American Farm Bureau Federation president, said in a statement.
However, the non-profit Center for Biological Diversity came out strongly against EPA’s registration, citing drift issues that cause harm to the environment, as shared in a statement.
“The industry cronies at the EPA just approved a pesticide that they know drifts for miles and poisons organic crops, backyard gardens and 100-year-old trees. With reckless actions like this, Lee Zeldin is ‘MAHA-washing’ decisions that protect the profits of pesticide companies and industrial agriculture instead of shielding the rest of us from dangerous poisons,” said Nathan Donley, environmental health science director at the Center for Biological Diversity.
