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Pesticide App Regulations Part 2

Last week I shared the background information on the Endangered Species Act (ESA) language. There’s easier to understand graphics I’ve included at jenreesources.com. The following are what growers need to do to comply with rules for 2026.

I know there’s a lot of concern about these new rules. IF compliance with ESA is needed for a specific product, the product label will state Endangered Species in bold letters (pictured below). The only way to know is to read the product label. Enlist One, Enlist Duo, and Liberty Ultra all have ESA language on them. Ultimately, if the product label says you need to comply with the Endangered Species Act, then you must go to Bulletins Live Two and print off bulletins for any field that product will be applied on in 2026. If it doesn’t specify ESA, then you don’t need to do this step.

Example of what the label says if one needs to comply with the Endangered Species Act. It will specifically mention ESA on the label. Otherwise, if it doesn’t mention this, there’s no need to print a bulletin from Bulletins Live Two.

1-Go to EPA Bulletins Live Two at https://www.epa.gov/endangered-species/bulletins-live-two-view-bulletins within 6 months of the pesticide application if using Enlist One, Enlist Duo, Liberty Ultra or any product that specifies ESA language. When you get to the website, use the map or search feature to zoom in to your fields. Add the EPA registration number for the product you will be applying. It will then select the product. Select the month when the product will be applied. It will then show you a map of any Pesticide Use Limitation Area (PULA). If any exist, you must follow the specified restrictions. The map can then be downloaded and printed. Keep the map with your pesticide records. You need to print maps for each field you are using these products on. If you are applying these products in different months on the same field (ex. May and June), the bulletin needs to be printed for each of those months and kept with your records.

This is an example bulletin for Enlist One for the month of June 2026 for a specific area. There are no “pesticide use limitation areas” within this area. If there were, they would be designated in red with additional instructions. Print the bulletin for each field AND each month the product will be used and keep the bulletins with your pesticide records for 2026.

2-This step is not required. However, I’m unsure how we all comply with the sensitive site restrictions and buffers if we don’t do this step. Go to FieldWatch at https://driftwatch.org/ and register for FieldCheck if you’re not already registered. This is the old DriftWatch site where we as pesticide applicators can view any sensitive sites around our fields to avoid off-target movement to sensitive crops. You can select this field by field or if you have several fields in an area, you can draw an area on the map that encompasses all the fields. That’s what I did and then I’m going to label the fields on the map I printed. It provides a time stamp of when you check this site, so I’m just printing it and keeping it with our pesticide records.

This is a map from FieldCheck. The red shaded areas and all the balloon areas are sensitive crop/bee sites to be aware of.

3-Check the “pick list” on the Enlist labels or on the Liberty Ultra website to make sure you’re in compliance with the points needed for runoff mitigation measures on each field you’re applying those products. You don’t need to document this for 2026, but I’d encourage us to write these down in our records as we will need to document this in future years. The number of points required and the mitigation measures from which to choose will vary depending on the specific label, so you must read the labels.

Example of the pick list of mitigation measures from the Enlist One label. Credits vary depending on the soil type and the mitigation measures and credits assigned for them vary on product labels.

4-Spray drift mitigation and border restrictions also need to be followed. Follow the greatest restrictions regarding tank mixes, nozzle type, borders for avoiding spray drift, etc. in season when spraying.

Upcoming Meetings: A quick note of upcoming meetings including the Nebraska Corn Clinic in Aurora on Jan. 28, Eastern NE Soil Health Conference in Auburn on Feb. 2, and my first Friday in February conversation on “Beginning your soil health journey” on Feb. 6th in York. Flyers are below or can be found at https://jenreesources.com/upcoming-events/.

Posted in JenREES Columns

Pesticide App Regulations Part 1

Jan 18

Posted by JenBrhel

Last week was the kickstart to meeting season for me and it was great to see those of you at pesticide trainings and the Nitrogen Challenge meeting. For this column, I wanted to share a little more detail about the changes for this coming growing season regarding pesticide label language and requirements for the endangered species act (ESA) to mitigate drift and runoff. The information below came directly from a CropWatch article (https://go.unl.edu/skj7) written by Dr. Milos Zaric with UNL Agronomy, Greg Puckett with the UNL Pesticide Office, and Craig Romary with the Nebraska Dept. of Ag. Next week I will simplify this into specific steps to help you be in compliance for the 2026 growing season.

“Both Enlist One^® and Liberty^® ULTRA include ESA compliance requirements on their labels. These are not optional; they are enforceable use directions intended to protect federally listed species and their habitats (as well as other non-target plants and animals) from potential exposure due to off-target pesticide movement.

Before applying any listed product with ESA compliance requirements, applicators must consult the EPA BLT (Bulletins Live Two) map web tool to determine whether any application restrictions apply to the time and location of their planned application. A valid bulletin must be obtained within six months of the application, and the version specific to the planned month of application must be followed.

When applying multiple pesticide products as a tank mix, applicators must follow the most restrictive label requirements, including any ecological spray drift, runoff and erosion mitigation measures associated with either product. This added responsibility means users must verify compliance before making applications, particularly when operating in areas designated as vulnerable under the EPA’s mitigation framework.

The runoff and erosion mitigation measures will have a point system: each mitigation measure carries a point value, and to comply, the points for each site must meet the points for the product. Ecological spray drift mitigation will have a starting distance for a buffer or setback. Each mitigation measure allowed by the label will reduce that starting distance by a specific percentage. Depending on the level of mitigation implemented, buffer distances may be reduced — and in some cases to 0 feet — if the cumulative mitigation credits meet or exceed the required threshold.

Understanding and implementing these practices helps maintain compliance, reduce off-target movement, protect threatened and endangered species, their habitats, and other non-target plants and animals, and ensures continued access to essential row-crop protection products. This list is not exhaustive, and as new products are introduced or re-evaluated during registration renewal, they may include updated ESA-specific language and additional mitigation requirements.”