JUNE 2018 SEEDWORLD.COM / 77 PARTNER CONTENT Tools for Success with Dicamba F ields have all been planted and crops are now emerging. The 2018 growing season is in full swing and with it brings some exciting changes and improvements for all those growers planting Monsanto’s Roundup Ready Xtend® crop system. This spring, Monsanto launched the RRXtend Spray App, a new tool that will help applicators and growers plan their applications by providing location specific weather forecasts and digital record keeping capabilities and predicting inversion risk for their fields. “This app will help applicators conveniently see forecasts for their fields, for important weather related label requirements as they apply XtendiMax,” says Ryan Rubischko, Monsanto’s North America dicamba portfolio lead. Rubischko says the app has three main features, all to help users achieve successful, on-target applications of XtendiMax herbicide: 1) The weather forecast tool helps growers and applicators plan their applications by predicting weather conditions and inversion risk for their fields. It provides field-level location specific hourly forecasts of temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, and inversion risk. The inversion-risk forecast shows the probability (in percent) of an inversion occurring at a specific location. The weather forecasts leverage both publicly available weather data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad- ministration (NOAA) and unique models by Climate Corporation weather scientists. Growers must confirm compliant conditions according to the label before spraying. 2) The record-keeping feature gives applicators an easy way to comply with mandatory dicamba record keeping requirements when applying XtendiMax with VaporGrip Technology. App users can save and export multiple field records and store them on a mobile device. 3) The educational resource section connects growers to key resources including training information, materials on approved tank mixes and nozzles, and educational videos featuring insights on methods used in the forecast tool. The free app is now available for download on the Apple App Store and on Google Play. “This app is just one additional element of Monsanto’s com- mitment to continue to provide our farmers and applicators with additional training and resources and tools to ensure they have a successful season this coming year relative to the RRXtend crop system,” says Rubischko In addition to the mobile tool, Monsanto provided hundreds of free, in-person training sessions this spring to help reinforce proper use of low-volatility dicamba formulations to control weeds. Thou- sands of applicators and growers completed the mandatory training. According to Rubischko, Monsanto is committed to continuing the dialogue around dicamba and providing growers with the tools they need for success. Customers with questions, feedback or con- cerns can call 1-844-RRXTEND or visit roundupreadyxtend.com. What’s Changed for 2018? In October, the Environmental Protection Agency announced enhancements to Monsanto’s XtendiMax® product label that will help ensure farmers have even more success with the Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System in 2018. The updates, which were voluntarily proposed by Monsanto and are supported by the EPA, included mandatory training, new recordkeeping requirements, and a Restricted Use Pesticide (RUP) designation, which will limit sale and use to certified applicators or those acting under their supervision. The training sessions this spring, in addition to the new mobile app, have given growers the information they need for success this growing season.