Production Blog

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (DTN) -- The proverbial pesticide toolbox could see some new additions in 2026, but to lawfully use these products (and a few others already approved), farmers need to do some mitigation math.

On Sept. 16, EPA will hold a free webinar to help farmers with that math. The 90-minute session will focus on the agency's menu of mitigation measures available to reduce the runoff and erosion potential of pesticides. The webinar will also include a demonstration of tools available to calculate mitigation points and spray drift buffers.

(To register, go here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/…)

Requiring mitigation to protect endangered species and their critical habitats isn't new. When EPA approved labels for Enlist One and Enlist Duo herbicides in 2022, those labels carried language regarding mitigation "credits" that farmers would need to achieve. The label provided a "pick list" of mitigation options.

The agency's vernacular changed by the time it finalized its Herbicide Strategy in August 2024. When Liberty ULTRA herbicide received a label shortly thereafter, it required farmers to achieve "points" from an online mitigation menu. That menu was updated in April 2025 when EPA finalized its Insecticide Strategy.

An EPA spokesperson told DTN that the webinar will feature a biologist, a GIS specialist and a senior science adviser. They will give an overview of the mitigation menu and discuss how farmers can evaluate their fields for these mitigation measures. They'll also provide an explanation on how to navigate the webpage and use the new Pesticide App for Label Mitigations (PALM) and other tools available.

In its announcement of the webinar, EPA stated the mitigation menu approach is "intended to improve flexibility for pesticide users by providing options that work best for their situation, while still achieving an appropriate level of mitigation."

That level of mitigation does vary from pesticide to pesticide. For example, the current Liberty ULTRA label requires a minimum of three points of runoff/erosion mitigation. EPA arrived at the same three-point mitigation requirement in its proposed re-registration of the "over-the-top" (OTT) dicamba herbicide products.

Other products that may receive labels for use in 2026 carry different point requirements. Only two points of mitigation are proposed for diflufenican, the active ingredient in Bayer's Convintro herbicide, while the proposed label for BASF's Tirexor herbicide requires a minimum of six mitigation points.

Mitigation may also be required if a field falls with the boundaries of a Pesticide Use Limitation Area (PULA). The proposed label for Syngenta's soil-applied insecticide Opello notes that in specifics PULAs, four points of mitigation will be necessary.

EPA noted that the mitigation menu does not impose any requirements or restrictions on pesticide use. Rather, "pesticide users would access the mitigation menu website only to inform what mitigation measures could be used to achieve the level of mitigation that is required on pesticide labeling."

If a farmer can't attend the webinar live, it will be recorded, said the EPA spokesperson. The recording will be posted to the agency's Pesticides and Endangered Species Educational Resources Toolbox found here: https://www.epa.gov/….

The webinar begins at 1 p.m. CDT, Sept. 16. To register, go here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/….

Read more from DTN: "Five Steps to Herbicide ESA Compliance" https://www.dtnpf.com/…

Jason Jenkins can be reached at jason.jenkins@dtn.com

Follow him on social platform X @JasonJenkinsDTN

(c) Copyright 2025 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.