2025 regulations bar over-the-top dicamba applications in soybeans, cotton
Find applicable rules online at the Arkansas Department of Agriculture.
By The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
June 9, 2025
Fast facts:
- Products containing dicamba not registered for over-the-top use in soybeans, cotton
- Registrations vacated by 2024 federal court decision
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(Newsrooms: with art)
LITTLE ROCK — A decision last year by a U.S. District Court vacating 2020 registrations means no pesticides containing dicamba have valid state or federal registrations for burndown or over-the-top use in dicamba-resistant soybean and cotton crops in Arkansas.
The 2024 ruling by the U.S. District Court of Arizona vacated registrations for XtendiMax, Engenia and Tavium. These herbicides were to be used in concert with proprietary cotton and soybean varieties developed to be resistant to dicamba and affect only the weeds.
“At this time, no pesticides containing dicamba have a valid federal or state registration for over-the-top application on dicamba-tolerant soybeans and cotton,” the department said in a news release. “As a result, farmers cannot legally apply [over-the-top] dicamba on soybeans and cotton in 2025.”
Failure to comply with federal and/or state laws and rules may be subject to civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation, as well as possible suspension or revocation of their applicator license.
There are still registered uses in corn, grain sorghum, pasture and turf.
Find applicable rules online at the Arkansas Department of Agriculture.
The Cooperative Extension Service, the outreach and education arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, has research-based weed management guidance in its MP44, “Recommended Chemicals for Weed and Brush Controls.”
Following the federal court decision, the Environmental Protection Agency issued an “Existing Stocks Order for Dicamba Products Previously Registered for Over-the-Top Use on Dicamba-Tolerant Cotton and Soybean.” Sale or distribution of these products is unlawful except as provided under this order.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
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Media contact: Mary Hightower
mhightower@uada.edu